Launch of First Quantum-resistant Network in Switzerland, Integrating Solutions from ID Quantique, an IonQ Company, and Cisco

Launch of First Quantum-resistant Network in Switzerland, Integrating Solutions from ID Quantique, an IonQ Company, and Cisco Geneva, December 16, 2025 IonQ, the world’s leading quantum company and its subsidiary ID Quantique (IDQ), today announced the completion of a significant cybersecurity upgrade in collaboration with Cisco, the global leader in networking and security. This upgrade makes the connection between two Switzerland-based data centers – quantum-resistant. This is possible through the deployment of Cisco’s Secure Key Integration Protocol (SKIP) together with IDQ’s world-class Solteris Network Appliance solution, delivering future-ready protection without compromising current performance. This pioneering project, in collaboration with the Canton of Geneva, marks a major step towards the protection of critical infrastructures in the face of modern cybersecurity risks and emerging threats related to quantum computing’s potential for breaking current data encryption. An urgent need: migrate to quantum security to anticipate the quantum threat The rise of quantum computing raises fears of looming threats to current data encryption algorithms such as Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic-Curve Cryptography (ECC), which are known to be vulnerable to quantum computer attacks. Data intercepted today could be stored and decrypted at some future point by quantum computers—a risk referred to as “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL).” These potential threats make the migration to “post-quantum” infrastructures critical and urgent. Companies, financial institutions, hospitals, and public services must prepare their respective infrastructures today to mitigate the inevitable quantum disruption that’s coming. Modernized infrastructure with state-of-the-art Swiss technology Cisco Nexus 9000 series data center switches, powered by the Linux-based Cisco NX-OS operating system, served as the foundation of an existing network in the Canton of Geneva and have been upgraded to support quantum-resistant security. With its hardware-accelerated Media Access Control security (MACsec) protocol providing Layer 2 encryption at line rate, the Cisco Nexus platform now integrates groundbreaking quantum SKIP capabilities with a robust, proprietary IDQ-designed innovative QKD solution that seamlessly works with Cisco’s Nexus 9000 encryption. This quantum-based technological synergy enables out-of-band distribution of symmetric encryption keys resistant to quantum attacks. This breakthrough is possible due to the integration of the IDQ Solteris Network Appliance solution which delivers key strategic and technological advantages: Proven post-quantum security: Solteris allows a symmetric key distribution based on so-called post-quantum standardized algorithms, which is resistant to attacks by quantum computers. Compatibility with existing infrastructure: The solution integrates directly with Cisco NX-OS and its SKIP capabilities, enabling quantum key distribution across within existing network infrastructure. Crypto-agility: Leveraging NX-OS’s modular architecture, the solution separates key generation and distribution from the encryption layer, bolstering resilience and enabling future algorithm updates without hardware changes. This Solteris solution implemented by IDQ integrates a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-certified quantum random number generator (QRNG), which provides the entropy required to implement post-quantum cryptography. Combined with IDQ Clarion KX key management software, Solteris enables secure out-of-band key distribution with existing IT infrastructure. “ID Quantique is proud to support this first step towards a national post-quantum infrastructure in Switzerland. Solteris offers a concrete and proven solution to meet tomorrow’s quantum challenges today, while strengthening IonQ’s commitment to quantum computing, networking, sensing, and security.” Grégoire Ribordy, CEO and co-founder of ID Quantique “Through our Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program in Switzerland, we are showing that quantum security is not just a future concern, it is a critical priority today. Quantum technologies are already delivering real-world benefits to Swiss organizations, helping them build a secure foundation for tomorrow. By natively integrating the SKIP protocol into our switching infrastructure and providing wire-speed encryption, we enable organizations to achieve quantum resistance without disrupting existing investments or compromising performance.” Garif Yalak, CDA Lead Cisco Switzerland