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Marc Kaplan, Co-founder & CEO, VeriQloud

VeriQloud: Offering Applications and Software for Quantum Networks

Cryptography is extensively used to secure end-to-end communications with sensitive files, data, records, and much more to ensure the prevention of data loss. With its disruptive potential, cryptography can enable users to secure their data, which becomes essential in cybersecurity. However, with the introduction of quantum technology, cryptography has enhanced itself with infinite added value compared to classical methods. With a goal to design fully optimized solutions to use-cases in cybersecurity based on quantum information processing, VeriQloud provides a unique approach and solution with quantum technology as one of the fastest-growing startups.

Marc Kaplan, the CEO, Cofounded VeriQloud to achieve a collective ambition to unlock the power of quantum communication networks by working on applications, software, and architecture.

In our endeavor to find “2021’s Top 10 Disruptive Companies in Quantum Technology”, we at Insights Success came across VeriQloud. We talked with Marc to understand how VeriQloud is pushing forward to unlock the power of quantum communication networks.

Below are the highlights of the interview.

Give us a brief overview of VeriQloud, its mission, and the key aspects of its strong foothold in the quantum industry.

VeriQloud is a startup based in Paris, France. We are developing quantum networking systems with two features that distinguish us from other companies in the field. Firstly, our developments are focused on applications of quantum networks rather than on the hardware. Secondly, they are motivated by a long-term vision of how the technology will evolve from point-to-point quantum communication to a large-scale Quantum Internet in which quantum resources are connected to each other with quantum communication channels.

Current quantum networks are running a single task: quantum key distribution (QKD). While VeriQloud’s systems provide a substantial enhancement over current QKD networks, our mission is wider. The applications that we are developing can run using existing hardware but are motivated by the forthcoming development of quantum internet.

Describe your top-notch offerings that address the need of your customers.

Our development unlocks new use-cases for quantum networks. We have developed the Qline, a quantum communication architecture that can be thought of as the ethernet of quantum networks. Qline connects several nodes on a single fibre line. It is optimized to distribute quantum states at the local and metropolitan area scale, with two main use-cases:

  • In a large-scale QKD network, Qline solves the last-mile problem. It can be combined with satellite links and high-speed backbones to distribute encryption keys to a large number of end-users.
  • Several Qlines can be assembled to form a metropolitan network. With connectivity that is much higher than point-to-point QKD, Qline can significantly increase the number of nodes in such infrastructures.

What makes VeriQloud a preferred choice among your clientele over other competitors?

VeriQloud offers the most scalable and secure solution for quantum communications. Our solution, the Qline, is the only existing solution that goes beyond point-to-point quantum communication by genuinely implementing a quantum network of several nodes.

Beyond its high connectivity, Qline also removes the trusted nodes that are common in QKD networks. This technique, used to extend the distance of QKD, also injects vulnerabilities into the system. By removing trusted nodes, Qline increases the security of key distribution.

QKD offers point-to-point protection, Qline protects a full network. Our solution is the best one for people who need quantum cybersecurity at the local area scale.

How is VeriQloud enhancing security via quantum communication?

Qline offers future-proof security. Its quantum nature makes it resistant to “store now, break later” attacks. Quantum cybersecurity is also the only technology that can guarantee lifelong data protection for hundreds of years.

Qline is bringing quantum cybersecurity to a full network. This makes Qline the best solution to protect critical infrastructures within a metropolitan area. Another important use case is for data centers. Qline can be used to secure the distribution of data over servers in a cloud availability zone, which brings long-term security not only for communications but also for storage.

Describe the values that drive your organization.

At VeriQloud, we believe that security and privacy are fundamental rights. Moreover, we believe that cryptography, the mathematical theory behind data security, is a cornerstone of the digital age. It allows these fundamental rights to be enforced by the power of mathematics. Quantum technologies are a new step toward more security and privacy for our data.

Quantum technologies are getting a huge boost worldwide, with increasing private and public funding. The related technologies will have a very important impact on the general public. We believe that the general public should be able to evaluate this impact. This is particularly challenging due to the technicality of quantum technologies. But as entrepreneurs, it is our duty to work on education and popularization. Anyone that is willing to invest time and energy should be able to get a clear vision today of how quantum technologies will impact everyone’s life in the future.

In your opinion, what could be the future of the quantum communication market post the COVID-19 pandemic? And how are you strategizing your company’s operations for that future?

We have experienced a boom in data value over the last decade. This, in turn, has increased the need for privacy and data security. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the shift toward online activities, increasing this need further. Our increased online presence should be taken into consideration in all cybersecurity threat models. It creates new opportunities for eavesdroppers and new challenges for security architects.

While quantum cybersecurity may today be a niche reserved for critical infrastructures, protecting those is important to boost the confidence of the general public. The lifelong security that quantum technologies offer is what users deserve when sharing their data and their lives online.

In what ways have you or your company contributed to the community?

VeriQloud participates in a number of research projects. One project that we are very proud of is the Quantum Internet Alliance. This project, funded by the European Commission and led by TU Delft, aims at developing the technologies required for building a quantum internet.

This has led us to host the Quantum Protocol Zoo, an online encyclopaedia of quantum communication protocols. It lists the quantum communication tasks available in the scientific literature, analyze them, links them to simulation code and proposes concrete applications. It is available at wiki.veriqloud.com.

What are your future aspirations? Where do you see VeriQloud in the next five years?

The field of quantum communication is growing fast. There is currently a strong push toward the creation of a European ecosystem, with the objective of forming a complete supply chain to deliver European quantum communication infrastructures. VeriQloud is going to play a key role in this development.

In parallel, we are working on the development of a quantum internet. Such an infrastructure can be used to build a secure quantum cloud platform in which a quantum computer remotely executes a client’s program without learning any information about it.

We are starting to develop applications for secure quantum cloud computing today. This is our natural horizon and the ultimate application of quantum cybersecurity that we consider at VeriQloud.