Cisco and KETS Quantum Security today announced a major milestone in secure communications by successfully integrating KETS’ chip-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology with Cisco’s IOS XR-based routing infrastructure. This partnership marks a significant step toward scalable, quantum-secure networking for enterprise and critical infrastructure environments.
Cisco is a global leader in networking and cybersecurity, enabling secure connectivity and digital transformation for organizations worldwide. Their systems underpin much of our digital economy, making it critical to protect from future quantum threats.
KETS, the UK’s most commercially advanced chip-based quantum-safe encryption company, is focused on delivering scalable and cost-effective QKD solutions for real-world applications.
KETS’ QKD system, built on photonic chip technology, enables the generation and distribution of encryption keys secured by the laws of quantum physics. Its secure keys can be used to protect critical data from advanced computing attacks, providing long-term data security in an increasingly complex threat landscape.
By combining this capability with Cisco routers running IOS XR, featuring MACsec (Media Access Control Security) technology—widely deployed to secure data-in-transit across high-speed Ethernet networks—the integrated solution delivers end-to-end encryption that increases quantum resilience and is operationally compatible with existing network infrastructure.
The joint demonstration showed seamless interoperability between KETS’ QKD system and Cisco routers enabling automatic key exchange and encryption without disrupting network performance. The result is a scalable architecture capable of protecting sensitive data across metropolitan and wide-area networks.
Key benefits of the integrated solution include:
- Increased quantum resistance for critical data flows
- Compatibility with existing MACsec Ethernet-based networks
- Reduced hardware footprint through chip-scale QKD
- Automated, continuous key refresh for enhanced security
The demonstration underscores the growing importance of layered security models that combine classical and quantum technologies in a defence-in-depth approach. As regulatory and industry pressures mount to adopt quantum-safe solutions, partnerships like this pave the way for practical deployment across sectors including finance, telecommunications, government, and defence.
The QKD v2.0 unit provided to Cisco is the same security-hardened architecture recently trialled by BT. Cisco was an early supporter of hardware QKD, with support in IOS XR routers beginning with version 7.9.1 in 2023. KETS and Cisco plan to continue their partnership, exploring expanded use cases and integration of KETS hardware within Cisco’s ecosystem.
Lisa Matthews, CEO of KETS Quantum Security, commented:
“The threat of a quantum computer is today’s problem, not tomorrow’s. The moment a large-scale quantum computer is commercially operational, every piece of sensitive data currently being transmitted, from financial transactions to national security secrets, will be exposed.
This integration demonstrates that quantum-secure communications can move beyond theory into real-world deployment. Our chip-based approach removes traditional barriers of size, cost, and complexity, making QKD practical for widespread use as a critical new network security feature alongside industry-standard networking equipment.”