The relationship between quantum computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming a powerful pathway to develop secure, intelligent and sustainable network systems – however, present-day IoT architectures experience scalability challenges, as well as energy and data vulnerability, due to classical models in cryptography. This paper presents a Next Generation Quantum-IoT Communication Framework (QIoT-CF) that addresses these issues with quantum-based encryption, entanglement-assisted routing, and dynamic sustainability optimization for communication in the framework. The architecture uses Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to ensure quality data security that is unbreakable, and it uses reinforcement learning–based queuing to balance energy consumption and communication reliability with heterogeneous IoT nodes. The simulations suggest that latency decreased by 45%, energy consumption improved by 43%, and the quantum bit error rate (QBER) improved by 52% relative to current IoT systems. The sustainability controller will change transmission policies based on carbon-aware energy metrics providing an acceptable trade-off between quantum performance and sustainability at-scale. The framework represents a critically significant advancement toward eco-intelligent quantum communication security situated within the 6G vision and beyond.
The relationship between quantum computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming a powerful pathway to develop secure, intelligent and sustainable network systems – however, present-day IoT architectures experience scalability challenges, as well as energy and data vulnerability, due to classical models in cryptography. This paper presents a Next Generation Quantum-IoT Communication Framework (QIoT-CF) that addresses these issues with quantum-based encryption, entanglement-assisted routing, and dynamic sustainability optimization for communication in the framework. The architecture uses Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to ensure quality data security that is unbreakable, and it uses reinforcement learning–based queuing to balance energy consumption and communication reliability with heterogeneous IoT nodes. The simulations suggest that latency decreased by 45%, energy consumption improved by 43%, and the quantum bit error rate (QBER) improved by 52% relative to current IoT systems. The sustainability controller will change transmission policies based on carbon-aware energy metrics providing an acceptable trade-off between quantum performance and sustainability at-scale. The framework represents a critically significant advancement toward eco-intelligent quantum communication security situated within the 6G vision and beyond.
The convergence of Sixth-Generation (6G) wireless networks and the Internet of Things (IoT) demands unprecedented levels of performance, scalability, and security. Traditional architectures are increasingly inadequate in addressing the computational and security challenges posed by massive IoT connectivity, ultra-low latency, and high data throughput. This paper proposes a novel quantum-assisted architecture that integrates quantum computing and quantum communication principles to enhance the efficiency and security of 6G-enabled IoT systems. The framework leverages quantum key distribution (QKD), quantum machine learning (QML), and entanglement-assisted routing to provide end-to-end encryption, intelligent resource allocation, and resilient data transmission. Our simulation results and comparative analysis demonstrate significant improvements in network throughput, latency, and security resilience compared to classical 6G-IoT architectures. This research establishes a foundational step toward realising secure and intelligent next-generation wireless networks through the integration of quantum technology.
The fast growth of Internet of Things (IoT) networks has heightened the demand for secure, scalable and energy efficient communications methods. Traditional cryptographic techniques are more susceptible to quantum computing attacks and therefore have pushed the necessity for quantum secure methods. This study presents an energy efficient artificial intelligence assisted quantum secure communication framework designed to scale and provide reliable IoT networks. The framework uses Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) combined with deep learning optimization to improve both relationship and network performance. A self-adaptive AI module applies its lower level of computational resources and dynamically changing network conditions in order to optimize key management, routing decisions, and resource allocation, which reduces both energy consumption and communication latency. The proposed system is intended to support the specific types of constraints faced within an IoT environment. The experimental simulation results demonstrate that the framework improves energy efficiency, increases packet delivery ratio, and decreases latency in IVN (Intelligent Vehicular Networks) by comparison with traditional means of secure communication. In addition, by combining AI and quantum communications, we increase our resilience to threats posed by both classical and quantum forms of attack while providing an added layer of protection for transmitting data between devices in future wireless networks. Additionally, this proposed framework will provide a very scalable and effective method for providing IoT solutions within the environment of 5G mobile networks or later generations.
The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) with quantum communication networks opens the door to transformative applications, including massive machine communication, virtual reality (VR), the Metaverse, and a wide range of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies. The Quantum IoT (QIoT) meets these demands by enabling ultrasecure communication, advanced data processing, and enhanced sensing capabilities. By leveraging quantum principles, such as entanglement and teleportation, QIoT achieves superior efficiency and security compared to traditional IoT systems. As a pioneering quantum computing and communication convergence, QIoT is expected to experience significant growth over the next decade, driven by rapid advancements in quantum technologies. However, QIoT networks face critical challenges, such as energy efficiency (EE) issues, memory limitations caused by qubit decoherence, and substantial losses during quantum communication, including the exponential decay of entanglement success over quantum optical channels. To address these challenges, we propose an optimal decoherence-aware entanglement generation framework to maximize EE in QIoT networks. Using Dinkelbach’s method and Lagrangian analysis, the framework reformulates the resource allocation (RA) problem as a nonlinear fractional programming model, which is solved iteratively through linear programming techniques. This approach ensures energy-efficient entanglement generation rates (EGRs) while maintaining reliable quantum communication. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, highlighting its advantages and providing valuable insights for the development of QIoT systems.
The exponential growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its integration into critical infrastructures has elevated the need for robust and future-proof security mechanisms. Traditional cryptographic systems, while effective today, are increasingly vulnerable to advancements in quantum computing. This paper explores the integration of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) as a novel security paradigm for next-generation IoT ecosystems. QKD leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to enable unconditionally secure key exchange, immune to computational attacks. We propose an architecture where QKD-enabled edge gateways and IoT nodes facilitate real-time secure communication through quantum-secured channels. The study analyzes the feasibility of implementing QKD in resource-constrained IoT environments and evaluates its performance in terms of key generation rate, latency, and energy consumption. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed QKD-IoT framework significantly outperforms conventional encryption protocols in resisting both classical and quantum-based attacks, making it a viable foundation for building post-quantum resilient IoT infrastructures. The research also outlines the challenges related to scalability, hardware integration, and key management, and proposes solutions through hybrid QKD-classical cryptography models. This work paves the way for a quantum-secure IoT future, ensuring trust, privacy, and integrity in hyper-connected digital ecosystems.
The evolution of smart cities will contribute to an increase in the use of interconnected physical/digital ecosystems, and consequently, an increase in threat surface for the cyber threats against the protected data streams. With the emergence of quantum-based cyberthreats, this has increased the potential range of types of cyber-attacks on protected data and increased the use of quantum-based means of conducting cyber-attacks on protected data. This research proposal presents an Internet of Things (IoT) smart city framework founded on quantum-secure standards that were developed for next-generation IoT smart cities. The IoT Smart City Framework is comprised of four levels of architecture: a Quantum Backbone, a Key Management Level, an Edge Gateway Level, and an IoT Device Layer. Consequently, through the use of this architecture, the IoT Smart City Framework can protect the IoT Smart City Network from future cybercriminal attacks while providing assurance that the IoT Smart City Framework has been 'future-proofed.' By utilizing strategically deployed quantum nodes, the proposed solution performs QKD and frees devices with limited resources from needing to perform highly computationally intensive cryptography in order to secure encrypted communications, instead employing Lightweight Encryption Standards in conjunction with Symmetric Keys established via QKD. Using simulated quantum channels and urban IoT workloads, our experimental results yield secret key rates between 12 and 18 kilobits/sec (kbps) with a low quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 1.8% to 3.2%. Based on these experimental results, we conclude that the proposed hierarchical security architecture provides a resilient security framework for urban essential services, with negligible energy consumption.
With the ever-increasing proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and advent in quantum computing, the need for quantum-secure cryptographic protocols is becoming more and more critical. This paper introduces a transformative approach to Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), integrating Quantum Neural Networks (QNNs) and adaptive entanglement protocols for securing, scaling, and rendering IoT communications resilient. The proposed architecture is scalable, hardware-efficient, and noise-resilient, enabling AI-assisted protocol optimization, dynamic qubit allocation, and QNN-based noise mitigation. Simulations with Qiskit and PennyLane produce a fidelity of 99.9% and achieve an average QBER of 0.015, representing a 32% reduction compared to the 0.022 QBER typically reported for Measurement-Device-Independent-QKD (MDI-QKD). The proposed QNN model classifies with an accuracy of 97.5%, significantly outperforming the VQNN’s 80.5%. A hierarchical quantum authentication scheme is also proposed to ensure multilayer security in heterogeneous IoT settings.