IrelandQCI has successfully completed its first government use case by demonstrating quantum-secure communication at the Wood Quay venue in Dublin City Council. This marks an important step in showing how Ireland can use next-generation security to protect critical public services.
The demonstration is part of IrelandQCI (Ireland Quantum Communication Infrastructure), a €10 million project co-funded by the European Commission and Ireland’s Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Led by the Walton Institute at SETU on behalf of CONNECT Centre at Trinity College Dublin, the project is helping build a national quantum communication network as part of a wider EU effort involving 26 member states. IrelandQCI is delivered by a team of universities and industry partners, such as ESB Telecoms and HEAnet. Together, they are developing a quantum key distribution (QKD) network connecting Dublin, Waterford, and Cork. This technology will help future-proof Ireland’s communications systems against growing cybersecurity threats.
For this first Government used case, HEATnet deployed quantum mechanic communication equipment on Dublin City Council’s own fibre network. The team successfully created a highly secure link between two council buildings, showing that quantum-based security can work reliably on a day-to-day basis. The trial was delivered through the Smart Docklands technology testbed, which is a collaboration between Dublin City Council and the CONNECT Centre.
The demonstration also tested advanced encryption methods designed to stay secure in the era of quantum computing. By combining quantum and classical security, the system offers multiple layers of protection for essential public data and services. This milestone shows how Ireland is preparing for the future of cybersecurity and positioning itself as a key player in Europe’s emerging quantum communication network.