Technology is leaping, and one of the most striking steps in progress is the creation of the so -called quantum internet, in simple words of a new type of internet that promises incredible speeds, absolute security and revolutionary potential for the future.

In this context, Cisco announced that it is moving forward with the development of quantum networking, that is, technology that will allow quantum computers to communicate with each other and operate together, as simple computers do today.

This new type of computers, quantum computers, will be able to solve problems that now take years, such as the discovery of new drugs or the analysis of complex data. But to work on a large scale, they need more than computing power, they need a network that can unite them and let them “work together”.

This is what Cisco is now making. With her new “Quantum Chip”, she manages to take the first steps for a truly quantum internet, which will be rapid, energy efficient and compatible with today’s infrastructure (such as fiber optic). It may all look science fiction, but according to Cisco, those that once looked away decades come in the next 5-10 years. The era of quantum world is no longer far away and the revolution has just begun.

In more detail, in this context this week Cisco announced two important developments:

  1. Presentation of Cisco’s Quantum Network Entanglement Chip, an innovative research model that allows quantum networks to be upgraded and quantum processors to implement applications.
  2. Inauguration of Cisco Quantum Labs, its specialized research center in Santa Monica, California, where scientists and engineers develop quantum networking technologies of the future.

Exceeding limits in quantum technology

As stated in the announcement, today’s quantum processors have only a few hundred QUBITs, while useful applications require millions. Even the most ambitious designs of quantum computing systems foresee only a few thousand QUBITs by 2030. A few decades ago, classic computing faced similar challenges until we started connecting smaller knots via website, creating powerful distributed systems.

As gradually abandoned the large central computers of classic computers, the future of quantum computers is not on a single isolated computer. On the contrary, scalable quantum data centers, where processors work together through specialized networks, will be the practical and feasible path of the future. Companies that develop quantum processors will benefit from Cisco’s quantum networking technologies to upgrade their systems. With the creation of this infrastructure, Cisco contributes to the dynamic evolution of the entire quantum ecosystem.

Cisco’s Quantum Network Entanglement Chip

A key element of Cisco’s vision for quantum networking, as it has announced, is Cisco’s Quantum Network Entanglement Chip, developed as a prototype in collaboration with the University of California in Santa Barbara. This chip produces quantum connected photons that allow instant communication regardless of distance via quantum teleportation, as Einstein had described as “paradoxical action remotely.”

By the workshop actually

Although Cisco is celebrating the official inauguration of Cisco Quantum Labs in Santa Monica, her team, as noted, has been working on the foundations of quantum networking for years. The workshop acts as a place where researchers are experimenting with quantum networking solutions that bridge the theory with practical application. More elements of this technology will be announced soon as the company’s vision of quantum networking is completed.