From Quantum Networks to Quantum Internet: Opportunities and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Quantum technologies are attracting increasing interest, efforts and investments, and research and innovation in the field of quantum computing and communications are finally discovering practical applications outside of a laboratory setting.  The first quantum security services and quantum computing applications will soon be commercially available.

Regarding quantum communications, it is expected that quantum networks will become fully integrated with current networks, executing methods and protocols which are demonstrably more efficient than their classic counterparts. They will enable new services such as advanced quantum security services (e.g., via QRNG and QKD), quantum computing services (e.g., via cloud quantum computing, blind computing, etc.), quantum Artificial Intelligence, and new forms of communications towards the quantum internet.

Quantum networks include quantum nodes and systems in charge of networking, processing and storing units of quantum information for the end-users. Currently, several international efforts are aiming to define and test protocol stacks for quantum networks and their evolution for the quantum internet: interfaces and protocols must be designed and standardized, beginning with the physical, data linkage and network layers, in order to account for the requirements of quantum technologies.

However, a major obstacle hindering these developments is that the industry has not yet consolidated around one type of quantum hardware technology (e.g., based on trapped ions, superconducting electrons, or silicon photonics) for quantum computing and networking. In this scenario, to accelerate the development of quantum ecosystems, there is a need to define the abstractions and interfaces decoupling quantum hardware from upper software layers. This is a promising area of innovation, which intertwines with quantum software activities.

The aims of this Special Issue include: (1) detailing the state-of-the-art of methods and systems for quantum networks (e.g., software and hardware) in order to forecast the potential socio-economic impacts; (2) proposing architectural principles, abstractions and interfaces for quantum computing and networking; (3) providing critical analysis of experimental use cases in order to identify challenges, roadblocks, services and business opportunities.

Dr. Antonio Manzalini
Guest Editor

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