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STORY: A team of researchers in Scotland is hoping to revolutionize data security by developing a “potentially unhackable” national quantum network.

The Integrated Quantum Networks Hub, or IQN, will be led by a group from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

It is one of five hubs announced by the UK government as part of a $200 million government investment.

The aim of the IQN is to boost cybersecurity by enhancing defences against hacking, and connecting future quantum computers.

Charlotte Deane, executive chair of the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, says programming on a quantum computer is very different from programming on a classical computer.

“There is a property that we can use that allows us to program things in a different way, which means we can do things faster, or we can solve different types of problems."

So what can a quantum internet do?

Gerald Buller, who will lead the IQN Hub, explains:

"Potentially you can have ultra-secure systems. Essentially, it gives a degree of security that is extremely high and potentially unhackable, but it would have to be used in certain ways to do that."

The quantum internet uses principles of quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence (AI) to create unbreakable encryption keys.

“In other quantum technologies such as sensing and imaging, AI is already being used to take the data and make it, process it faster and get more believable results. So AI is already here with quantum technology. It remains to be seen just how big a part it will play in the quantum Internet of the future.”

The project also aims to tackle cybercrime - projected to cost the world about $9.5 trillion a year by the end of 2024, AuthenticID’s State of Identity Fraud Report says.

Cybersecurity expert Andrew Patel cautions that no system will ever be impervious to the main weak link in the chain: people.

“A quantum internet wouldn't prevent other common cyber attacks, such as social engineering, exploits or malware. The weak link is often people and people being tricked into doing things that they didn't want to.

The UK hopes these new quantum hubs will pave the way for the country to become a global leader in quantum innovation.

The hubs are expected to drive entrepreneurship, workforce development, and regulatory input into the UK's rapidly emerging quantum industry.