Digital confidentiality is an essential requirement for a modern state, a strong economy, and the trust of citizens. Much data remains subject to protection requirements for decades—in government administration, law enforcement, the judiciary, the financial and healthcare sectors, and critical infrastructure in general. Advances in quantum computing make it necessary to further develop digital security: Encryption must continue to protect data even when today’s methods become vulnerable in the future. Quantum-secure communication offers a phased transition that complements existing systems and paves the way for long-term security.

Real-World Laboratory Established in Wiesbaden 

“This is where quantum key distribution, or QKD, comes in—the technology we’re working on at the university,” explains Prof. Dr. Nikolay Tcholtchev of Hochschule RheinMain – University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSRM). “It bases the IT security of key exchange in digital communication not on computational complexity, but on the physical laws of quantum mechanics. For the public sector, this opens up possibilities for transmitting highly sensitive government and citizen data via fiber optics in a future-proof and eavesdropping-proof manner.” 

The method is embedded in a project designed to demonstrate the functionality of QKD in a real-world laboratory. In doing so, it illustrates the transition from theoretical physics research to practical IT security for government agencies. In collaboration with the Hessian Center for Data Processing (HZD) and the company KEEQuant, a scientific test platform for quantum-secure communication using QKD and modern key management is being developed in the City of Wiesbaden, the capital of the state of Hesse, for the state administration. In April, a test connection was successfully established between a campus of the HSRM and the HZD.

Foundation for Hesse’s Security Ecosystem

“This test platform makes quantum security tangible: not as an abstract topic of the future, but as a real building block for secure digital infrastructure,” says Beate Minor, division head of the IT Security Management department at the HZD. “For the HZD, this project is not an isolated experiment, but can serve as the seed for future phases of a security ecosystem.”

The project also serves to build regional expertise and know-how in the field of quantum communication: “Through this practical infrastructure, we are also laying the basics for up-to-date courses and providing a foundation for practice-oriented master’s theses and doctorates,” says Prof. Dr. Holger Hünemohr. 

Making IT Future-Proof Step by Step

In addition to physics-based security, cryptographic methods such as post-quantum cryptography are also part of future digital resilience. “We are also conducting research on this here at Hochschule RheinMain – University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Key management systems can bridge these two worlds and thus prepare applications, data centers, government networks, and security gateways for future expansion,” explains Prof. Dr. Marc Stöttinger.

_{[AI was used as an aid in the creation of this text]}