IonQ Delivers One of the Largest Operational Quantum Key Distribution Networks in Europe
Summarize this article with:
IonQ Delivers One of the Largest Operational Quantum Key Distribution Networks in Europe COLLEGE PARK, MD — February 26, 2026 Romania’s national infrastructure becomes one of the most extensive terrestrial quantum key distribution deployment in Europe, powered by IonQ’s subsidiary ID Quantique IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), the leading quantum company, today announced that its subsidiary ID Quantique has successfully deployed the technology powering the Romanian National Quantum Communication Infrastructure (RoNaQCI). This initiative represents one of the largest and most complex operational quantum key distribution (QKD) network in Europe and one of the largest of its kind outside of China. Delivered in partnership with the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest and RoEduNet, Romania’s national research and education network, the project marks a major milestone in Europe’s efforts to protect critical communications against current and future cyber threats. The nationwide network is built exclusively using IonQ’s commercially available QKD technology, demonstrating that quantum-secure communications are scalable and operational for national infrastructure today. “IonQ is proud to support this large operational quantum-secure communications network deployed in Europe, and to directly contribute to the realization of EuroQCI, which is building Europe’s flagship quantum communication infrastructure. This deployment shows how QKD can operate at-scale to support national security initiatives and protect sensitive communications across government, healthcare, research, education, and data center environments.” Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ Romania’s quantum infrastructure now includes 36 quantum-secured links spanning more than 1,500 kilometers, accounting for more than 20 percent of Europe’s terrestrial quantum communications infrastructure to date. This network connects six major metropolitan areas including Bucharest, Iași, Timișoara, Craiova, Cluj-Napoca, and Constanța, to ensure secure data movement through end-to-end distribution of encryption keys transported in a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) network combined with data traffic in C-band in metropolitan part of the network. “Our newly deployed national QKD infrastructure is an important milestone both for Romania and for the EuroQCI effort. This network establishes a practical foundation for secure data exchange across Romania and contributes to the broader European effort to build interoperable quantum communications networks.” Porf.
Pantelimon George Popescu, Head of the Quantum Computing Laboratory at POLITEHNICA Bucharest All QKD systems deployed across the network were supplied by ID Quantique, ensuring consistent performance, interoperability, and security at a national scale. The project brought together a broad consortium of 12 Romanian universities, seven research institutes, three national agencies, and additional public and private stakeholders. “Completing this network is the result of more than two decades of work to turn quantum key distribution into dependable infrastructure that governments and enterprises can rely on today,” said Grégoire Ribordy, VP Science at IonQ and co-founder of ID Quantique. “RoNaQCI shows that large, complex quantum-secure networks can be built and maintained at-scale using existing telecommunications infrastructure and commercially available networking solutions. We look forward to the next phases of EuroQCI.” Grégoire Ribordy, VP Science IonQ and CEO ID Quantique This news follows IonQ’s continued work to accelerate quantum-secure communications across Europe as part of the European quantum communications infrastructure. Most recently, IonQ, through ID Quantique, announced a partnership with the Slovak Academy of Sciences to deploy Slovakia’a first national quantum communication network and has launched the Geneva Quantum Network in Switzerland. IonQ also joined Q-Alliance with the government of Italy, and designated Oxford, UK as its EMEA headquarters, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting Europe’s quantum initiatives. About IonQ IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform company delivering solutions for quantum computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the forthcoming IonQ Tempo, will be the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance. Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has more than 1,300 employees at operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Toronto, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ.com.