The United States is in the process of developing a more secure national quantum internet that it believes could be up and running within a decade. The Department of Energy (DOE) has devised a plan for this "virtually unassailable" internet based on quantum technology - using the laws of quantum mechanics to relay information more securely than over existing networks.
The strategy for building a national quantum internet was unveiled during a press conference at the University of Chicago. The DOE says it will put the nation at the forefront of the global quantum race.
In February, with the help of university and industrial researchers, the agency was able to set up an 83 km "quantum loop" in the suburbs of Chicago. This makes it one of the longest terrestrial quantum networks in the United States.
The goal is to create a parallel and more secure network based on the concept of quantum entanglement or the transmission of subatomic particles. The DOE plans to create a prototype for the same within the next 10 years.
"The foundation of quantum networks is our ability to synthesize and precisely manipulate matter at the atomic scale, including the control of single photons," said David Awschalom, professor at the University of Chicago and senior scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory.
According to the statement from the Department of Energy, the reasons for using quantum transmission for a secure internet are that "They are extremely difficult to spy on when information travels from one place to another" who can help create "Virtually inviolable networks."
The agency says the banking and healthcare industries could be the first to embrace the quantum internet. He added that it could also be used for various applications in the field of national security and air communications.
Eventually, quantum network technology would find its way into mobile phones, which would have a major impact on the lives of people around the world.
