Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Automated Deployment and Configuration of Key Management Systems in QKD Networks

van Duijn, S. Rommel

Published Aug 19, 2026• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables information-theoretically secure key exchange, but its practical deployment at scale depends on secure and reliable key management systems (KMSs). As QKD networks grow in size and complexity, manual configuration and operation of KMSs could become a major source of operational overhead and risk of misconfiguration. We demonstrate the automated deployment and configuration of KMSs for QKD networks using a workflow orchestrator, achieving successful deployment and full configuration of KMSs and key acquisition and delivery services within 4min.

Related papers

Performance Evaluation of Key Management Systems for Quantum Key Distribution Networks

Tommy van Duijn, Simon Rommel

Key Management Systems (KMSs) are essential for secure and scalable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) networks. For successful integration of QKD into existing security protocols, it is crucial that KMSs can reliably deliver keys with sufficiently low latency. Yet, the performance of practical implementations remains insufficiently characterized. We benchmarked the throughput and latency of the key-delivery interfaces of several commercial KMS solutions alongside an in-house developed system. Our evaluation reveals that the KMS performance degrades significantly under high-workload conditions, indicating that current designs require substantial optimization before they can support large-scale, high-demand QKD deployments.

International Conference on Optical Network Design and Modeling (ONDM)•May 1, 2026•0 citations

Software-Defined Networking Orchestration for Interoperable Key Management of Quantum Key Distribution Networks

Dong-Hi Sim, Jongyoon Shin, Min Hyung Kim

This paper demonstrates the use of software-defined networking (SDN) orchestration to integrate regionally separated networks in which different network parts use incompatible key management systems (KMSs) managed by different SDN controllers to ensure end-to-end QKD service provisioning to deliver the QKD keys between geographically different QKD networks. The study focuses on scenarios in which different parts of the network are managed separately by different SDN controllers, requiring an SDN orchestrator to coordinate and manage these controllers. In practical network deployments, operators often utilize multiple vendors for their network equipment. This practice also enables the expansion of the QKD network's coverage by interconnecting various QKD networks equipped with devices from different vendors. However, as coordinating different parts of the QKD network is a complex task, this paper proposes the implementation of an SDN orchestrator which acts as a central entity to manage multiple SDN controllers, ensuring end-to-end QKD service provisioning to address this challenge. For instance, when there are multiple border nodes to interconnect different networks, the SDN orchestrator calculates the path in advance for the end-to-end delivery of keys between initiating and target applications belonging to different networks. This path selection requires the SDN orchestrator to gather information from each SDN controller managing the respective parts of the QKD network. This work shows the practical implementation of SDN orchestration for interoperable KMS in commercial QKD networks in South Korea. By employing an SDN orchestrator, it becomes possible to coordinate multiple SDN controllers and ensure the efficient and secure delivery of QKD keys between different QKD networks with varying vendor equipment.

Entropy•Jun 15, 2023•18 citations

Deploying and validating a metropolitan QKD secure network: architecture and field performance

Claudia De Lazzari, Nicola Biagi, Damiano Giani +15 more

The advent of cryptographically relevant quantum computers poses an existential threat to classical public-key infrastructure. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) addresses this challenge by providing information-theoretic security for key establishment, independently of any computational hardness assumption. In this work, the deployment and experimental validation of a metropolitan-scale quantum-secure network between data centers in Milan is reported. The network operates over installed fiber infrastructure and implements a layered architecture integrating QKD hardware, standards-compliant Key Management (KM), and centralized Software-Defined Networking (SDN) orchestration. Dynamic path reconfiguration via active optical switching and trusted-node routing allow automated fail-over solutions. Application-layer validation across diverse protocols and workloads confirms the seamless interoperability of all system components. These results establish the technical and operational readiness of metropolitan QKD networks for production deployment, and offer a replicable blueprint for building quantum-secure communication infrastructure at metropolitan scale.

quant-pharXiv:2607.11727•Jul 14, 2026•0 citations

Resource Allocation Strategies in Quantum Key Distribution Networks

Catalina Stan, Dominique Verchère, Juan José Vegas Olmos +2 more

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a symmetric key exchange mechanism designed to enhance the security of current communication systems. Although QKD provides unconditional security, it also comes with deployment challenges. One challenge is the distance limitation between the transmitter and receiver, which restricts the large-scale adoption of QKD. To overcome this, trusted relays are used as intermediate nodes, allowing QKD to evolve from distance-limited point-to-point connections to unlimited QKD networks (QKDN). With an increasing deployment of QKD and a growing number of applications requesting keys, quality of service (QoS) constraints must be set for efficient key resource management to alleviate the risk of rejecting application requests. In this work, we integrate key delivery delay and maximum requested key size as QoS constraints in a novel key allocation algorithm built on three QKDN layers – quantum, key management and service. Moreover, we design key relaying using quantum key pools and virtual quantum key pools as storage mechanisms. We use static and dynamic weights for relay path computation and evaluate their impact on the proposed key allocation strategies with QoS constraints and find that static weights show a good overall performance for QKDN, while performance with dynamic weights varies based on historical key consumption data.

Globecom•Dec 8, 2024•2 citations

Quditto: Emulating and Orchestrating Distributed QKD Network Deployments

Blanca Lopez, Angela Diaz-Bricio, Javier Perez +2 more

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers information-theoretic security by leveraging quantum mechanics, yet the cost and complexity of dedicated hardware and fiber infrastructure have so far limited large-scale deployment and experimentation. In this paper, we introduce Quditto, an automated open-access emulation platform that combines high-fidelity quantum-channel modeling with a standardized key-delivery API, enabling users to interact with the emulated network exactly as they would with real QKD hardware. Quditto modular design supports pluggable protocol implementations, complex key management schemes and detailed channel models, including variable attenuation and decoherence. We validate Quditto by deploying networks of various sizes and demonstrate its flexibility through two proof-of-concept scenarios featuring eavesdropper attacks and heterogeneous channel conditions.

quant-pharXiv:2512.15408•IEEE Network•Dec 18, 2025•0 citations

Multidomain orchestration for quantum key distribution networks

Rafael J. Vicente, Martin Stiemerling, Juan P. Brito +1 more

The global Internet appears to users as a unified, seamless infrastructure, but in reality, it is composed of multiple interconnected networks: separate domains with different management and policies. This unified behavior is made possible by complexity-hiding mechanisms and inter-domain coordination protocols, which are critical components of modern networking. As we approach a paradigm shift driven by quantum technologies, new challenges and opportunities emerge. Quantum information processing enables capabilities that classical systems cannot achieve, including the potential to compromise public key infrastructures that support today’s network security. Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers a promising avenue by implementing a key agreement protocol that is information-theoretically secure against computational attack. However, to fully leverage QKD, networks must be adapted to the unique constraints of quantum communication, integrating both quantum bit transmission and secure key distribution across multiple domains. This paper discusses the interconnection of quantum key distribution networks (QKDNs) and presents a distributed, standards-aligned orchestration mechanism designed to manage QKD networks spanning multiple administrative domains. Our solution builds on existing QKDN standards to facilitate interoperability and practical deployment in heterogeneous environments and has been validated on a heterogeneous multi-domain network comprising three interconnected autonomous domains.

Journal of Optical Communications and Networking•Apr 27, 2026•0 citations
Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables information-theoretically secure key exchange, but its practical deployment at scale depends on secure and reliable key management systems (KMSs). As QKD networks grow in size and complexity, manual configuration and operation of KMSs could become a major source of operational overhead and risk of misconfiguration. We demonstrate the automated deployment and configuration of KMSs for QKD networks using a workflow orchestrator, achieving successful deployment and full configuration of KMSs and key acquisition and delivery services within 4min.
Key Management Systems (KMSs) are essential for secure and scalable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) networks. For successful integration of QKD into existing security protocols, it is crucial that KMSs can reliably deliver keys with sufficiently low latency. Yet, the performance of practical implementations remains insufficiently characterized. We benchmarked the throughput and latency of the key-delivery interfaces of several commercial KMS solutions alongside an in-house developed system. Our evaluation reveals that the KMS performance degrades significantly under high-workload conditions, indicating that current designs require substantial optimization before they can support large-scale, high-demand QKD deployments.
This paper demonstrates the use of software-defined networking (SDN) orchestration to integrate regionally separated networks in which different network parts use incompatible key management systems (KMSs) managed by different SDN controllers to ensure end-to-end QKD service provisioning to deliver the QKD keys between geographically different QKD networks. The study focuses on scenarios in which different parts of the network are managed separately by different SDN controllers, requiring an SDN orchestrator to coordinate and manage these controllers. In practical network deployments, operators often utilize multiple vendors for their network equipment. This practice also enables the expansion of the QKD network's coverage by interconnecting various QKD networks equipped with devices from different vendors. However, as coordinating different parts of the QKD network is a complex task, this paper proposes the implementation of an SDN orchestrator which acts as a central entity to manage multiple SDN controllers, ensuring end-to-end QKD service provisioning to address this challenge. For instance, when there are multiple border nodes to interconnect different networks, the SDN orchestrator calculates the path in advance for the end-to-end delivery of keys between initiating and target applications belonging to different networks. This path selection requires the SDN orchestrator to gather information from each SDN controller managing the respective parts of the QKD network. This work shows the practical implementation of SDN orchestration for interoperable KMS in commercial QKD networks in South Korea. By employing an SDN orchestrator, it becomes possible to coordinate multiple SDN controllers and ensure the efficient and secure delivery of QKD keys between different QKD networks with varying vendor equipment.
The advent of cryptographically relevant quantum computers poses an existential threat to classical public-key infrastructure. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) addresses this challenge by providing information-theoretic security for key establishment, independently of any computational hardness assumption. In this work, the deployment and experimental validation of a metropolitan-scale quantum-secure network between data centers in Milan is reported. The network operates over installed fiber infrastructure and implements a layered architecture integrating QKD hardware, standards-compliant Key Management (KM), and centralized Software-Defined Networking (SDN) orchestration. Dynamic path reconfiguration via active optical switching and trusted-node routing allow automated fail-over solutions. Application-layer validation across diverse protocols and workloads confirms the seamless interoperability of all system components. These results establish the technical and operational readiness of metropolitan QKD networks for production deployment, and offer a replicable blueprint for building quantum-secure communication infrastructure at metropolitan scale.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a symmetric key exchange mechanism designed to enhance the security of current communication systems. Although QKD provides unconditional security, it also comes with deployment challenges. One challenge is the distance limitation between the transmitter and receiver, which restricts the large-scale adoption of QKD. To overcome this, trusted relays are used as intermediate nodes, allowing QKD to evolve from distance-limited point-to-point connections to unlimited QKD networks (QKDN). With an increasing deployment of QKD and a growing number of applications requesting keys, quality of service (QoS) constraints must be set for efficient key resource management to alleviate the risk of rejecting application requests. In this work, we integrate key delivery delay and maximum requested key size as QoS constraints in a novel key allocation algorithm built on three QKDN layers – quantum, key management and service. Moreover, we design key relaying using quantum key pools and virtual quantum key pools as storage mechanisms. We use static and dynamic weights for relay path computation and evaluate their impact on the proposed key allocation strategies with QoS constraints and find that static weights show a good overall performance for QKDN, while performance with dynamic weights varies based on historical key consumption data.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers information-theoretic security by leveraging quantum mechanics, yet the cost and complexity of dedicated hardware and fiber infrastructure have so far limited large-scale deployment and experimentation. In this paper, we introduce Quditto, an automated open-access emulation platform that combines high-fidelity quantum-channel modeling with a standardized key-delivery API, enabling users to interact with the emulated network exactly as they would with real QKD hardware. Quditto modular design supports pluggable protocol implementations, complex key management schemes and detailed channel models, including variable attenuation and decoherence. We validate Quditto by deploying networks of various sizes and demonstrate its flexibility through two proof-of-concept scenarios featuring eavesdropper attacks and heterogeneous channel conditions.
The global Internet appears to users as a unified, seamless infrastructure, but in reality, it is composed of multiple interconnected networks: separate domains with different management and policies. This unified behavior is made possible by complexity-hiding mechanisms and inter-domain coordination protocols, which are critical components of modern networking. As we approach a paradigm shift driven by quantum technologies, new challenges and opportunities emerge. Quantum information processing enables capabilities that classical systems cannot achieve, including the potential to compromise public key infrastructures that support today’s network security. Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers a promising avenue by implementing a key agreement protocol that is information-theoretically secure against computational attack. However, to fully leverage QKD, networks must be adapted to the unique constraints of quantum communication, integrating both quantum bit transmission and secure key distribution across multiple domains. This paper discusses the interconnection of quantum key distribution networks (QKDNs) and presents a distributed, standards-aligned orchestration mechanism designed to manage QKD networks spanning multiple administrative domains. Our solution builds on existing QKDN standards to facilitate interoperability and practical deployment in heterogeneous environments and has been validated on a heterogeneous multi-domain network comprising three interconnected autonomous domains.