Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi (TUIASI) announced on Monday that it will implement a project which aims to transform the city of Iasi into an important node within the future national and European quantum communication network, through the means of a project developed at a national level with European funds.
According to a press release, the Iasi Polytechnic University will train specialists in quantum technologies, in order to support the network's expansion at the level of the entire European Union and to continue fundamental and applied research in this field.
The RoNaQCI (Romanian National Quantum Communication Infrastructure) aims to develop a quantum communication network infrastructure in Romania, of over 1,500 kilometers and creating 6 metropolitan networks in the cities of Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Craiova and Constanta. To this network, 10 universities, 5 research institutes, 5 public institutions, three data centers and one clinic will be connected.
RoNaQCI is coordinated at a national level by Bucharest Polytechnic University and the support infrastructure of the university's network will be used - RoEduNet, which already has a 6,000 kilometer connection nationwide. The consortium that will implement this project is formed of 12 universities and 7 research institutes, with a total of 30 involved partners, Agerpres.ro informs.
"The project represents an important step for implementing cutting edge quantum communication technology, with the purpose of tackling the biggest challenges of the digital age. It will ensure secure communication, by virtue of laws that govern quantum physics. The project will be developed within the Digital Europe Program and continues TUIASI's own action, of digitizing the institution, the services and of developing research hubs in the area of digitization, big data and quantum communications," said Simona Caraiman, deputy-rector responsible for computerization and digital communication at TUIASI.
"The Technical University already offers, within the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers, study programs through which they ensure basic competence in the field of quantum computing, quantum communications and cyber security. These study programs will be extended and filled in with new advanced training modules in the field of quantum technologies," said the dean of the Faculty for Automatics and Computers, Vasile Manta.
According to the press release, locally, this infrastructure will be established within the project through a partnership among TUIASI, RoEDU, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (UAIC) and the ImagoMol cluster.
TUIASI specialists will implement and test a metropolitan network of quantum communications, where 3 secured communication links will be implemented in Iasi, all using Quantum Key Distribution type of quantum technology.
Furthermore, along with the ImagoMol cluster and the Sf. Spiridon Emergency Hospital, which belongs to this cluster, a case study will be implemented about how communications implying medical data could be secured. The project's important mission will be to develop, at a university level, the necessary competence to implement, operate and extend quantum communications nationwide, and later on, at an European level, but especially to create a critical mass of specialists in this area.AGERPRES
