Accelerating quantum-resilient encryption to help enterprises protect critical systems from the emerging threat of quantum adversaries

With a rise in advanced cyber threats and the impending era of quantum computing, there is a critical need for enterprise-scale encryption and a proactive transition to quantum-resilient technologies. QuintessenceLabs, renowned for its quantum-safe encryption, today announced it has deployed its Trusted Security Foundation® (TSF®) key and policy manager appliance in Equinix’s International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center in Canberra to help organisations strengthen their defences against the cryptographic threats posed by quantum computing.

Quantum computers are expected to be able to break today’s encryption in minutes, and nation-state actors are already harvesting encrypted sensitive data with the intention to decrypt it later when the technology is available. In Australia, to address this threat, the Australian Signals Directorate is actively encouraging organisations to make plans to transition to the use of Post-Quantum Cryptographic (PQC) algorithms within their own environments.^[1] Additionally, recent announcements by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)^[2] in the United States, which include the first standards for post-quantum cryptography, underscore the urgency of this transition and the need to start building cryptographic agility now.

Enterprises across many industries face significant challenges implementing robust encryption due to the complexity of managing encryption keys across diverse environments. With the continued proliferation of 5G, IoT, and sensorised environments, the number of encryption keys needed will soon rise into the millions.

Vikram Sharma, QuintessenceLabs Founder and CEO: “The advent of quantum computing presents risks to critical elements of today’s public key infrastructure. To mitigate these, QuintessenceLabs is pioneering technologies that support both current encryption standards and emerging post-quantum cryptography. A clear benefit of hosting our technology with Equinix is its high-quality infrastructure, connectivity and global footprint, which supports our expansion efforts. The easy process of installing our TSF product inside Equinix data centres opens up exciting commercial opportunities in key strategic markets around the world.”

Aside from Canberra, QuintessenceLabs will expand to other Equinix IBX locations in the United States and Asia-Pacific, where public and private sector organisations can access and deploy high-quality, scalable encryption solutions within their private environment, or via an upcoming as-a-service model, adding the flexibility and control to meet diverse customer needs.

Guy Danskine, Managing Director, Equinix Australia: “Equinix is committed to facilitating strong cybersecurity solutions for our customers and partners, so it’s important to be working closely with quantum innovators like QuintessenceLabs, and preparing customers for a post-quantum environment. By choosing Equinix as its digital infrastructure partner, together we can offer customers a seamless deployment method from on prem to hybrid IT environments and a clear pathway to quantum resilience with a trusted and recognised leader, a powerful and compelling solution for our mutual customers.”

Highlights/Key Facts

• Equinix supports several quantum businesses as part of its global network of more than 10,000 customers and is well placed to support businesses like QuintessenceLabs on its growth journey and lead the transition towards a range of quantum technologies for multiple sectors, including enhanced cybersecurity options and improved power efficiency.
• Through its globally interconnected platform, Equinix enables businesses to connect with QuintessenceLabs’ crypto-agile key management, quantum key generation and key distribution solutions on high-speed, low-latency, and private network connections.
• By allowing seamless communication between quantum systems and operational data processing infrastructure, Equinix and QuintessenceLabs ensure thousands of organisations around the world can access quantum-enhanced cybersecurity solutions.
• QuintessenceLabs is poised to introduce virtual versions of its key management capabilities hosted within Equinix’s IBX data centres. This will enhance the scalability and accessibility of its encryption solutions and support its global expansion plans while maintaining robust security standards.
• QuintessenceLabs’ suite of hardware and software products enable seamless encryption key management, ensuring comprehensive data protection at an enterprise scale. True Quantum Random Number Generation is the easiest place to start, and Quantum entropy provides high-quality random numbers for strong key generation, which can immediately boost an organisation’s quantum resilience.

About Equinix

Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX) is the world’s digital infrastructure company^®. Digital leaders harness Equinix’s trusted platform to bring together and interconnect foundational infrastructure at software speed. Equinix enables organizations to access all the right places, partners and possibilities to scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value, while supporting their sustainability goals.

About QuintessenceLabs

Founded in Canberra as Australia’s first quantum technology company in 2008, QuintessenceLabs is at the forefront of quantum-enhanced cybersecurity. We have developed a suite of solutions that, either separately or in combination, provide quantum-resilient technical measures across key areas considered essential to a strong cyber defence – protecting against sophisticated adversaries today, and against quantum computing attacks tomorrow. Our globally recognised capabilities span enabling quantum-resilient cryptography at enterprise scale, quantum key generation, and quantum key distribution. We help enterprises build high-performance, crypto-agile cybersecurity infrastructure on-premises, in the cloud, and in hybrid IT environments.

[1] https://www.cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/governance-and-user-education/governance/planning-post-quantum-cryptography
[2] https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2024/08/nist-releases-first-3-finalized-post-quantum-encryption-standards