Israel is bringing some of its biggest technology and research players together to tackle a problem that could become critical as quantum computing advances: protecting communications when today’s encryption is no longer enough.
Allot, an Israeli cybersecurity and network-intelligence company, is leading a new Post-Quantum Communications Consortium that includes NVIDIA, defense company Elta, satellite communications provider Gilat Satellite Networks, quantum software company Classiq and other technology firms, alongside six Israeli universities.
Supported by the Israel Innovation Authority, the consortium will develop technologies designed to protect communications and data from future quantum attacks.
The concern is that sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually break some of the cryptography underpinning today’s digital communications. Replacing that infrastructure could take years, making preparation a problem for governments and companies well before the technology becomes capable of causing damage.
The consortium will work on three approaches: post-quantum cryptography (PQC), quantum key distribution (QKD), and hybrid systems combining the two. Research will span optical, Ethernet, IP, mobile and satellite networks, as well as data centers and internet communications.
That broad scope is what makes the initiative notable. Rather than developing another standalone security product, the group is looking at how quantum-safe protection can be built into multiple layers of the communications infrastructure.
“The transition to quantum-safe communications is one of the most important cybersecurity challenges facing the world today,” said Yaakov Stein, Allot’s VP CTO and chair of the consortium’s board and scientific committee.
The academic partners include the Technion, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University, Bar-Ilan University, the Open University of Israel and the University of Haifa.