QIA has made remarkable progress in advancing quantum internet technologies throughout 2024. From groundbreaking research to fostering global collaboration, here’s a comprehensive recap of this transformative year.

January to March: Strategic foundations and new beginnings

Photo credits: Raquel Puras/Quantum Flagship

We kicked off 2024 with strategic meetings involving the Advisory Boards, setting a robust roadmap for accelerating advancements in quantum internet technologies. In February, the Pan-European Quantum Internet Hackathon brought together over 60 participants, generating innovative solutions in quantum technology. The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona also marked the official launch of the QIA Technology Forum, designed to drive global collaboration in the field.

In March we launched the QIA Internship Programme, offering 10 positions across 7 European countries. This initiative underlines our commitment to Building for One Europe programme in nurturing the next generation of quantum experts in all other EU countries currently not represented in QIA through hands-on experience in cutting-edge research facilities across QIA members.

April to June: Breakthroughs and collaboration

In April, researchers at ICFO in Barcelona achieved a significant breakthrough by demonstrating the long-distance transmission of matter-light entanglement through optical fiber, advancing secure quantum communication. We also co-hosted the Inside Quantum Technology (IQT) Conference in The Hague, and QBlox launched its new Qubit Timetag Module, supporting readout and entanglement heralding for quantum memories and trapped ions.

The Spring concluded with QIA’s Annual General Meeting in Barcelona, where members reviewed accomplishments and planned future activities. In parallel, we co-hosted the Quantum Communications in Europe event with the Quantum Secure Networks Partnership (QSNP), which brought together over 220 stakeholders to discuss the EU quantum ecosystem, secure quantum communications and quantum networks.

July to September: Engagement and recognition

We celebrated the success of the Quantum Internet Application Challenge (QIAC) 2023 winner, Claudio Cicconetti, whose innovative application idea fostered a collaborative research initiative between Delft and Pisa. September marked the operational start of the QIA Technology Forum (QIATF) featuring Special Interest Groups (SIGs) focused on engaging network operators and exploring the space/terrestrial interface.

This quarter also saw the publication of several groundbreaking papers, preprints that furthered the development of quantum networks. Among those, “Design and demonstration of an operating system for executing applications on quantum network nodes” paper laid the foundation for efficient operations on quantum network nodes. Another paper, “Efficient cavity-assisted storage of photonic qubits in a solid-state quantum memory”, advanced the understanding of quantum memory and its potential in quantum networks. Lastly, “A quantum-network register assembled with optical tweezers in an optical cavity” paper contributed to the development of quantum registers for network applications.

October to December: Celebrating achievements and looking forward

In October, QIA partners gathered in The Hague for the Autumn Meeting 2024 to review progress and discuss future strategies. The event celebrated several achievements, including QBlox receiving the Innovation Award and a MPQ paper being nominated for Best Paper of the Year. Stephanie Wehner also featured in a documentary on quantum internet by Ammodo Docs.

Moreover, an international research team led by QuTech published their results on demonstration of a network connection between quantum processors over metropolitan distances, connecting two Dutch cities. Their result marks a key advance from early research networks in the lab towards a future quantum internet deployed in the field.

In November we participated in the European Quantum Technologies Conference (EQTC) in Lisbon, and we launched the Quantum Internet Foundation and Application Challenges, inviting quantum enthusiasts to propose new quantum internet applications using the SquidASM platform.

Looking Ahead

From strategic milestones to groundbreaking research deliverables and global collaborations, 2024 has been a remarkable year for QIA. As we look ahead, the alliance partners are determined to continue the research and development work in their respective areas in quantum internet innovation, promising more breakthroughs in 2025.

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