About
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) is Japan's national research institute for information and communications technology, and it is the country's primary institution for quantum networking, quantum communications, and quantum time and frequency standards. NICT operates Japan's national time standard and contributes Japan's atomic time data to International Atomic Time (TAI). NICT's quantum communications research has been globally pioneering. The institute built Japan's Tokyo QKD network in 2010, one of the world's first metropolitan quantum key distribution networks, and has since advanced satellite-based QKD, quantum repeater technology, and quantum internet protocols. NICT takes part in the QICI (Quantum Internet and Communications Infrastructure) programme under Japan's quantum strategy, working to deploy a quantum internet backbone connecting major Japanese cities by the early 2030s. NICT's photon science research includes single-photon sources, quantum frequency conversion, and quantum memory development, all critical for quantum repeater networks. The institute coordinates Japan's quantum communications standardisation contributions to ITU-T and ISO working groups. It collaborates with NTT, Toshiba, and Japanese universities on quantum networking hardware and maintains international research partnerships with NIST, PTB, NPL, and European quantum communications groups. Update 2025-12-16: NICT demonstrated a world-first free-space optical communication system transmitting 2 Tbit/s using small, satellite-mountable terminals. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/nict-free-space-optics-optical-transmission/
Quantum Specifications
| Quantum Focus | hardware |
