Creotech Instruments, Europe’s leading manufacturer of systems and components for quantum technologies, was once again selected to be a part of an international consortium involved in a quantum project. This comes in the wake of successful negotiations with the European Space Agency (ESA) regarding the terms and conditions of a contract for Quantum Key Distribution High Rate Detector Predevelopment (QKD HRDP), a project aiming to deliver a high-quantum efficiency single-photon detector. The device will be used in the ground stations of quantum key distribution (QKD) systems and optical communication, particularly for deep space missions. Thanks to QKD HRDP, the company will add satellite communication to its quantum key distribution segment. Worth EUR 799,128.07, the parties are scheduled to sign the underlying contract in March 2023.

“I am really pleased that our competencies are recognized and appreciated. This marks another successful negotiation with ESA. This time for a quantum technology project. Over our discussions with ESA, we agreed on the terms and conditions of the contract for QKD HRDP, a project seeking to develop a special single-photon detector. The detector will, for example, be used in communication with deep space missions but will primarily serve as a component of the future quantum network for satellite-based encryption key distribution. We count on the success of this project as it will significantly contribute to adding a new segment, satellite communication, to our quantum key distribution portfolio. I also believe that having a well-diversified offering will ultimately position us to reach a wide group of customers,” says Grzegorz Brona, PhD, President of the Management Board of Creotech Instruments S.A. “We plan to sign the contract for the entire project with ESA in March 2023,” adds Brona.

The contract is worth EUR 799,128.07 with EUR 399,734.58 allocated to Creotech Instruments S.A. as the consortium leader.

“We have less than three years to complete the project and we intend to use this time well. We boast valuable expertise in next-generation quantum electronics, a team of specialized engineers and experienced partners, including the Technical University of Munich. Quantum distribution of encryption keys is the future of secure telecommunications. The “Global Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Market” 2023-2031 Research Report published on 14 February shows that in the upcoming years, this market will grow by 30% year-to-year, to reach almost 9bn USD in 2031,” says Grzegorz Brona.

Creotech Instruments also plays significant roles in other quantum projects. The company is a contributor to Sinara, the most advanced qubit control hardware ecosystem on the market, developed together with the University of Oxford and other partners.

For several months now, Polish specialists have also been actively participating in a groundbreaking effort to create the European Union’s first large quantum computer. This project aims to build a 100-qubit quantum computer by 2025 and achieve technological readiness to build a 1000-qubit solution by 2029.

Creotech is also responsible for the development of the first Polish quantum computer, which will be built in the HPC infrastructure of the Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center.

However, the QKD HRDP project is unique as it combines both Creotech’s quantum and space competencies.

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