Hanwha Systems joins state project to secure technology in quantum cryptography communication

SEOUL -- Hanwha Systems, a major defense contractor in South Korea, will join a state project to secure global technology competitiveness in quantum cryptography communication. A quantum cryptography communication network will be established at the company's headquarters and data center to verify security and stability for three years.

The project will be led by the Korea Information Society Agency (NIA) to operate quantum cryptographic communication infrastructure, along with SK Broadband and SK Telecom's subsidiary ID Quantique (IDQ), a Geneva-based leader in quantum-safe cryptography and quantum sensing solutions.

"We hope that through this project, we will be able to clarify our plans for quantum cryptography communication technology and secure market accessibility," Hanwha Systems CEO Kim Youn-chul said in a statement.

Hanwha Systems said it would validate security by linking a quantum cryptography communication network to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Desktop virtualization is a software technology that separates the desktop environment and associated application software from the physical client device that is used to access it.

Hanwha Systems has conducted the proof of concept (POC) that applies quantum entropy to a virtual private network (VPN), which is a secured communications channel implemented over shared, public networks to connect remote users and machines to a private network. The company hopes to secure technologies that can be applied to smart factories, cloud, blockchain, IoT, and autonomous driving.

Quantum cryptography has emerged as an essential security solution for safeguarding critical information in the 5G era. Data encoded in a quantum state is virtually unhackable without quantum keys which are basically random number tables used to decipher encrypted information.

In April, KT, a major telecom company in South Korea, was selected by NIA to set up and test a quantum cryptography network that will be utilized as a testbed to demonstrate new information and communication technology as well as other communication equipment.

KT and LGU+, a mobile carrier, have jointly developed a new quantum cryptographic technology to win approval from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an international telecommunication technology standardization governing body, as ITU's international standard for quantum cryptography communication networks.