The Kansen voor West by Provincie Zuid-Holland subsidy program is an economic stimulation program for the western part of the Netherlands, backed by the European Regional Development Fund (EFRO).
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Eurofiber, a provider of industry-leading open digital infrastructure, and Q*Bird, a quantum technology innovator, are pleased to announce they have been awarded a €1 million subsidy from the Kansen voor West.
European Regional Development Fund (EFRO) program. This funding will support their joint technical project, aptly named QUEST, to enable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) across two of Eurofiber’s main datacenters in the Randstad, West region of the Netherlands.
The project marks a significant milestone in the development of Next Generation quantum key distribution technology, offering secure, tamper-proof communication between users. By leveraging Eurofiber’s extensive fiberoptic network, the collaboration will allow customers to access QKD secured lit services, ensuring robust data security for critical applications, across multiple local quantum networks.
Deputy Meindert Stolk of the province of South Holland hands over the €1 million euro funding on behalf of Kansen voor West at the NLPavilion MWC25 in Barcelona. Paul Naastepad, Managing Director Eurofiber the Netherlands, Ingrid Romijn, CEO Q*Bird and Marc Hulzebos, Business Innovation Officer Eurofiber.
‘’As a provider of critical digital infrastructure, Eurofiber works daily on the resilience and security of the network. This project is a critical step forward in the evolution of Quantum secure communications. By permanently enabling Quantum Key Distribution across our Randstad datacenters and our Private Cloud infrastructure, we are not just enhancing security for our customers today but also laying the groundwork for future quantum network services,” said Marc Hulzebos, Innovation Manager at Eurofiber. “Our partnership with Q*Bird demonstrates our commitment to scaling emerging technologies, ensuring that Eurofiber remains at the forefront of the next-generation digital infrastructure.’
Working with Single Quantum, a manufacturer of quantum detection systems, Q*Bird aims to further develop Next Generation QKD quantum networking technology, with the goal of scaling the technology to a more commercially viable application. In the project, multiple smaller QKD networks will be connected to allow quantum encrypted communication between any pair of users in this extended quantum network. The project will strengthen the collaboration between Q*Bird and network provider Eurofiber, connecting quantum communication networks in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Any customer needing confidential data communication can benefit, including critical infrastructure, local public authorities, governments, and businesses. This will the accelerate development and implementation of an ultra-secure quantum internet.
‘‘As we continue to deploy quantum security solutions, we are excited to contribute to a safer and more secure digital future for our customers,” says co-founder and CEO Ingrid Romijn. ‘Today, we are building devices for quantum-secured data communications and this project will allow us to significantly enhance our business proposition for a wide range of customers. In the future, we will enable general-purpose quantum connectivity by providing new products and seamlessly integrating those with our pre-existing quantum cryptography network across datacenters.’
The Kansen voor West by Provincie Zuid-Holland, subsidy program is an economic stimulation program for the western part of the Netherlands, backed by the European Regional Development Fund (EFRO). It aims to strengthen the regional research and innovation capacity and the introduction of advanced technologies. The main goal of the QUEST project is to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge quantum security technologies in the Netherlands.
