Using QKD for Data Center Security
What was the project about?
Data centers are of increasing importance for society in general and particularly the financial sector, and the needs for security and privacy of the data stored are more imperative than ever. A prime use case anticipated for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is for data encryption in the context of data center synchronization. In this project, researchers at DTU together with KPMG and Danske Bank conducted a feasibility study of the practical implementation of QKD systems in data centers and analyze the value creation in terms of both data security and market potential. In the project Danske Banks data centers were used, but the output of the project will be relevant for data centers and stakeholders in general in assessing the need/opportunity for implementing QKD.
The conclusion of the feasibility study is, that while QKD can grant the strongest form of data confidentiality possible as of today, the practical costs and challenges of deploying the technology are also fairly considerable. However, both the scientific community and industry is working towards lowering costs, improving the performance, and engaging in standardization, so deploying QKD in the near future can be expected to become more affordable and useful.
The researchers believe that QKD can take a role somewhere between being an advertising tool to an actual differentiator that ensures crypto-agility. In either case, an exploration of this technology is a strongly recommended activity.
The project was supported by the Danish Innovation Fund building on the Grand Solution project CryptQ.
Host Institution(s):
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Principal Investigator:
Ulrich Busk Hoff, DTU Physics
Partners:
Danske Bank and KPMG
Grant:
200.000 DKK
Project period:
1.1.22-31.12.22
Project outcomes
QKD for data center security study
Quantum key distribution for data center security- a feasibility study can be downloaded here
CiViQ
EU Flagship Projects focusing on how to achieve flexible and cost-effective integration of quantum communication technologies, in particular Continuous-Variable QKD (CV-QKD) can be found here
CryptQ
A large project that aims to support Denmark in achieving a position in the global value chain with the development of secure and cost-effective technology for quantum communication can be found here
QCI.DK
A new project with the purpose of establishing a Danish Quantum Communication Infrastructure as part of the pan-European infrastructure can be found here
Partners
