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Industry News
This trial proved that data can be securely transmitted
at an 800Gb Ethernet (GbE) service rate, sufficient to
move data centre scale volumes across the Atlantic
in seconds, while also remaining protected against
quantum threats. This is at a time when 69 per cent of
organisations believe that quantum computing poses
a real risk to current encryption.
Ciena’s WL6e 1.6T quantum-safe encryption solution
on the Waveserver platform offers PQC algorithms
that enable high capacity secure connectivity
that can function at extreme bandwidths over any
distance.
Buddy Bayer, Chief Operating Officer for Colt
Technology Services, ststes:
“ Quantum computing is redefining the security
challenge for global connectivity. This trial marks
a significant step forward in protecting the world’s
data as it moves across continents. It proves that
quantum safe protection can be delivered at real
world scale. “
Dino Di Perna, Senior Vice-president, Global Research
and Development for Ciena, adds:
“ As network demand surges, operators are raising
the security bar to stay ahead of the threat posed
by quantum computers. This Colt-Ciena trial
shows how post-quantum cryptography and
proven high-performance optical encryption can
play an important role in protecting high-speed
services over real-world long-haul and submarine
networks, helping secure critical in-flight data
across any distance. “
Reference: Optical Connections News, June 19th.
World’s First Consumer-facing Quantum
Product
A London start-up, known as Moth, has released
a quantum-powered open-access game called
Quantum Backrooms which uses real quantum
hardware to generate gameplay.
The game draws inspiration from the online
‘Backrooms’ concept in which players exist in
continually evolving maze-like environments shaped
by the behaviour of quantum processing units.
Individual qubits correspond to sections of the virtual
space, while the connections between them define
possible routes through the maze. The objective is to
make quantum computing more accessible without
the need for technical expertise such that by playing
players indirectly engage with quantum processes in
action.
The technology behind the game is part of a
broader platform intended to enable creators and
developers to build quantum based applications.
When the game runs it sends instructions to
a quantum processor, which executes circuits
containing qubits, the fundamental units of quantum
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information. The outcomes produced by these
qubits are inherently probabilistic, meaning that
they cannot be predicted in the same way as results
from conventional computers. These outputs are
translated into the structure of the game, with each
qubit corresponding to a portion of the maze-like
environment. Connections between qubits define how
different areas link together. As the outputs vary from
execution to another, the environment can change
unpredictably, creating a different experience each
time the game is played.
The fact that the system relies on real quantum
hardware as opposed to simulations means that
the gameplay is influenced by physical quantum
processes.
Founder of Moth and Chief Creative Officer Harry
Kumar comments:
“ Our platform will catalyse a huge leap forward
for the quantum sector, unlocking the kind
of creative experimentation that historically
supercharges adoption and innovation. The next
step in quantum computing will not come from
hardware alone. It will come when consumers start
to engage with it and our collective imagination for
new applications is unlocked. “
Reference: Tyler, N., ‘London Startup launches Quantum-powered
Game aimed at Consumers’, New Electronics, 2nd. June
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Industry News
AMPLIFYING ELECTRICAL
SIGNALS WITH COLLECTIVE
ELECTRON MOTION
Researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of approach into current semiconductor manufacturing
Engineering have demonstrated how a small input processes.
signal can be used to generate a response over 100 It is envisaged that the approach could offer a way
times stronger than that previously recorded using
forward for overcoming current limitations in chip
conventional materials.
design, such as size and energy consumption.
The principle involves utilisation of a charge-
Alexander Balandin, Professor of Materials Science and
density wave in which electrons move together in
Engineering at UCLA and co-corresponding author of
a coordinated wave-like pattern as opposed to
the study, explains:
independently. This produces electrical properties that
are different from those found in standard conductive “ Our research reveals an unexpected
materials. amplification effect that emerges when electrons
act collectively rather than individually. This
The team fabricated prototype devices that were just a
suggests a new strategy for controlling electricity
few nanometres thick, made out of tantalum trisulphide,
in future devices. “
which characteristically exhibits high charge-density
waves. Advanced nanofabrication combined with radio Lead Author and postdoctoral researcher Maedeh
frequency measurements enabled direct observation Taheri adds:
of how electrons move in unison and quantification
“ The similarities suggest that the newly
of how strongly the material responded to an applied
discovered effect may not require an entirely
electric field.
new technological platform. It could potentially
A key achievement was being able to distinguish be adapted into device architectures already
between the behaviour of individual electrons and standard in the semiconductor industry. “
that of the collective state. The device design was also Reference: ‘Scientists amplify Electrical Signals using Collective
similar to structures already found in existing silicon- Electron Motion’, New Electronics, Vol.59 Issue 5, June/July 2026, p.33
based technologies, making it possible to integrate the
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