FAU RRZE and Partners Launch Quantum Domain Dynamics Project for Cross-Domain Quantum Encryption

Hybrid Architecture Focus: The project develops automated management of quantum key distribution and post-quantum cryptography across network domain boundaries.Intent-Based Orchestration: The project explores the use of large language models to translate administrator intents into network configurations monitored by continuous control loops.Consortium Through 2029: Infosim coordinates partners including FAU, Fraunhofer IOF, universities in Jena and Würzburg, Quant-X, and Telefónica Germany under €3.84 million total volume.The Network research group of the Regional Computing Centre Erlangen (RRZE) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) is participating in the collaborative project QDD (Quantum Domain Dynamics). The initiative researches how quantum-based encryption can be achieved securely and flexibly across domain boundaries with the aid of automation processes in network management. Coordinated by Infosim, the project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, formerly BMBF) with €3.26 million ($3.8 million) toward a total project volume of €3.84 million ($4.4 million) and runs until 2029.Organizations handling sensitive information, including government authorities and university hospitals, require encryption that remains secure against powerful quantum computers. Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers theoretically unconditional security based on the principles of quantum mechanics. Eavesdropping attempts are detectable because intercepted bits can no longer contribute to key production. Current QKD systems operate effectively only over short distances; longer reaches typically require trusted nodes. Such nodes are protected intermediate stations helping to establish secure key chains with detectable eavesdropping between parties.Until QKD sees wider deployment, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) methods continue to protect data through mathematical complexity designed to resist quantum attacks. The QDD project develops approaches so both QKD and PQC can be invoked and managed together within local network domains and orchestrated across multiple domains. The RRZE contribution, titled “Intent-based quantum-secure domain orchestration,” centers on software-driven workflows which explore the use of large language models for network operations and control processes.Partner organizations alongside the RRZE Networks group include the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Quant-X Security & Coding GmbH in Hannover, and Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG in Munich.Cross-domain encryption management can become highly complex. The project employs an intelligent network management concept known as Intent-Based Networking (IBN). A network administrator defines only the desired outcome, the “intent”, and the system explores the use of large language models to translate the specification into the necessary network settings. Feedback mechanisms called control loops then continuously monitor the process.According to project descriptions, this architecture supports the stepwise integration of quantum communication into existing network infrastructures. It combines immediate QKD usage in local domains with hybrid approaches possibly integrating advanced methods such as twin-field QKD, quantum repeaters, or satellite links. The resulting software-defined management layer aims to abstract QKD, PQC, and related resources into a vendor-agnostic layer that enables crypto-agility and interoperable cross-domain secure communication.The collaborative effort, running from June, 2026, through May, 2029, contributes foundational capabilities for a scalable quantum-secure communication infrastructure in Germany and Europe, particularly for critical information infrastructures must exchange data securely across administrative and technical boundaries.The QDD project advances automated, intent-driven orchestration of hybrid QKD and PQC to enable scalable, cross-domain quantum-secure communication.Find out more here.—Further articles, reports, and the latest quantum computing news may be found at The Qubit Report.Pasqal has demonstrated trapping of individual rubidium atoms using laser light delivered and controlled by a photonic integrated circuit, which the company describes as a Week Ending 7 | 8 | 2026. 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