Chinese companies begin to embrace quantum technology
- Country’s quantum communication market predicted to be worth more than 80 billion yuan next year
- In some cases, China ‘has already overtaken America’ in three areas of research, according to recent Harvard report
The China Academy of Railway Sciences, which sets national standards for the railway industry, had approached Wang with a plan to bring quantum communication to high-speed rail.
A few days earlier, China’s anti-espionage authorities disclosed that two Chinese information technology companies had been caught providing sensitive data to foreign buyers that could cause leaks in China’s railway communication and threaten the safety of millions of passengers travelling at speeds of up to 350km/h (217.5mph) on what is the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
Wang said the academy wanted to know if quantum-based cryptography – technology that uses the laws of physics to prevent eavesdropping – could help provide affordable protection for the massive amount of infrastructure involved.
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“Conventional railway communication systems are plagued with safety loopholes. A quantum security solution offers improved protection with [theoretically] unbreakable equipment and trusted repeaters,” Wang said last month.
“And the technology has become more affordable for industrial buyers as private companies in this area are committed to providing cheaper and smaller devices.”