en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) disclosed the latest progress on quantum network infrastructure, with key directions including regional quantum network testbeds, quantum repeaters, quantum memory, advanced photon detectors, satellite links, and open infrastructure for research institutions and startups. This direction is a crucial component of the next-generation information and communication system, aiming to connect quantum computers, quantum sensors, and quantum communication nodes, providing a new network foundation for high-precision measurement, secure communication, and complex computing.
The difference between quantum networks and traditional internet lies in that traditional networks transmit classical bits composed of 0s and 1s, while quantum networks process quantum bits (qubits). Qubits can exist in superposition states and can form correlations with distant nodes through entanglement, giving quantum networks the potential to connect distributed quantum sensors and quantum computing resources. The NSF proposes that quantum networks could be used in the future for earthquake prediction, agricultural monitoring, gravitational wave detection, materials science, and drug discovery, as well as providing GPS-free positioning capabilities in environments with limited satellite signals, such as tunnels, underwater, and underground spaces. For the communications industry, such networks are no longer just about increasing bandwidth or reducing latency; they represent a change in the underlying information form, potentially expanding communication networks from "data transmission channels" to "collaborative platforms for sensing, computing, and security capabilities."
Current quantum network engineering still faces significant constraints. Quantum states are highly susceptible to temperature, environmental disturbances, and transmission losses. Quantum signals have limited propagation distances in optical fibers or the atmosphere, and quantum information cannot be directly copied or amplified like traditional signals.
This is why the NSF has prioritized quantum repeaters, long-lived quantum memory, and advanced photon detectors. Quantum repeaters need to complete storage, forwarding, and link extension without destroying the quantum state, making them a key component for quantum networks to transition from the laboratory to urban infrastructure, energy systems, and cross-regional communication. Related investments also include the QuantumGrid regional testbed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which uses existing underground fiber optic cables to test quantum signals and explores a blueprint for commercial quantum networks and computing centers focused on power grid applications. The Center for Quantum Networks, supported by the NSF, is also advancing comprehensive experiments from fiber optics to satellite communication platforms, attempting to establish a complete technology stack capable of connecting quantum processors and transmitting quantum data.
Subsequent industrialization progress will depend on the reliability of quantum repeaters, the lifespan of quantum memory, photon detection efficiency, satellite link coordination, urban underground fiber optic adaptation, and the supply of quantum talent. As the NSF simultaneously advances the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory, the $100 million Quantum and Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, and the $1.5 billion NSF X-Labs program, quantum networks are gradually moving from cutting-edge research topics into the infrastructure construction phase. For the information and communication technology industry, this direction will not replace existing internet and mobile communication networks in the short term, but it will first form application entry points in scenarios such as power grid security, navigation in special environments, scientific computing, defense communications, and high-end sensing.
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