Researchers at the Centre for Quantum Technologies have been working on something that requires some explanation on the western edge of the National University of Singapore’s Kent Ridge campus, in a building that doesn’t appear all that different from the rest of the university’s science complex from the outside. They are laying the technical groundwork for a network that, in theory, cannot be intercepted by any classical computer or, more specifically, by the quantum computers that are anticipated to become operational within the next ten years.
Quantum Key Distribution is the name of the technology. They are testing it utilizing a fiber-optic backbone supplied by NetLink Trust that spans the entirety of Singapore. Professor Alexander Ling is the principal investigator for the National Quantum-Safe Network. The long-term goal is a quantum internet that can handle secure communications in a way that the current internet is structurally unable to, a goal that has been subtly discussed in academic papers for years but has only lately progressed from theory to measurable architecture.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) | Founded 2007 with initial S$158 million ten-year funding; hosted by the National University of Singapore on the Kent Ridge campus; elevated to flagship national research centre on January 2025 under the National Quantum Strategy; current Director Professor José Ignacio Latorre, faculty member of NUS Department of Physics |
| National Quantum Strategy (NQS) | Launched May 30, 2024 by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat at Asia Tech x Summit; backed by approximately S$300 million ($219 million USD) over five years under Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025; coordinated by the National Quantum Office hosted at A*STAR; comprises four initiatives — CQT, Quantum Engineering Programme 3.0, National Quantum Processor Initiative, and National Quantum Scholarship Scheme |
| National Quantum-Safe Network (NQSN) | Lead Principal Investigator Professor Alexander Ling, CQT/NUS; nationwide testbed launched 2022 connecting government agencies, research labs, and commercial entities via QKD-secured fibre links; partnership with NetLink Trust providing the fibre network; has completed quantum-safe data centre file exchange with ST Telemedia Global Data Centres |
| Research Nodes | NUS (host institution); Nanyang Technological University (NTU); Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD); A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing; Nanyang Quantum Hub at NTU — a 1,100 sqm dedicated applied quantum technologies facility; CQT employs over 200 researchers and engineers |
| Satellite Quantum Programmes | SpooQy-1 — pioneering 2.6 kg CubeSat that confirmed entangled photon generation at 400 km altitude; SpeQtre — joint Singapore-UK flagship mission led by RAL Space and SpeQtral, backed by £10 million in joint government funding; will likely be the first entanglement-based QKD mission launched outside China |
| Financial Sector Trials | Monetary Authority of Singapore signed August 2024 MoU with DBS, OCBC, UOB, HSBC, telecom partners SPTel, and quantum hardware provider SpeQtral to pilot QKD for inter-bank communications; addresses the looming threat that quantum computing poses to classical encryption |
| Talent & Spin-offs | National Quantum Scholarship Scheme aims for 100 PhD + 100 Masters scholars over five years; 14 PhD students from five countries enrolled at CQT since 2025; spin-off companies include SpeQtral (quantum communication, satellite QKD), AQSolotl (quantum control hardware “Chronos-Q”), and Squareroot8 Technologies (cost-efficient quantum cryptographic devices) |
| International Partnerships & Reference | Quantinuum MoU (July 2024) for advanced quantum computer access; NUS-Strathclyde collaboration on satellite communications; CQT-Oxford Research Fellowship; further information at CQT’s Quantum Lah portal |
Since 2007, the Centre for Quantum Technologies has been housed on the Kent Ridge campus. Its first ten years of operation were funded with S$158 million from the Singaporean government. In retrospect, that wager has proven to be one of the most strategically astute research expenditures undertaken by any tiny nation during the previous 20 years. In addition to producing hundreds of articles and dozens of PhD graduates, CQT became one of the most cited quantum research centers in the world. It also fostered the spin-off businesses that currently serve as the foundation of Singapore’s commercial quantum industry.
The Singaporean government officially began a new chapter in May 2024. During his opening remarks at the Asia Tech x Summit, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat unveiled the National Quantum Strategy, which is supported by about S$300 million spread over five years. In January 2025, CQT was promoted from a Research Center of Excellence to a flagship national research center. Today, its research nodes include A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing, NUS, NTU, and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Contrary to what the policy framing implies, what is actually happening in the laboratory is more tangible. The idea behind quantum key distribution is surprisingly straightforward: encryption keys are sent using individual photons whose quantum states cannot be measured by an interceptor without permanently changing them. Any attempt at eavesdropping modifies the signal, notifies authorized users, and destroys the captured data.
These technologies’ limited range and physical fragility have always been the drawback. Long-distance fiber optic installations decrease signal strength. Implementations outdoors rely on the weather. A quantum communication chip created by NTU researchers is about a thousandth the size of traditional QKD setups, potentially enabling the technology to eventually be integrated into smartphones and laptops rather than requiring rack-mounted laboratory equipment. The team at NTU has been working to miniaturize the hardware.
Singapore intends to address the issue of distance through satellite programs. The SpooQy-1 mission, a 2.6-kilogram CubeSat that successfully proved that entangled photon creation could take place in space, was a purposefully modest initial step. It orbited at a height of around 400 kilometers. The information verified that the entanglement signals were high enough quality to facilitate QKD operations. The proof of concept was that.
SpeQtre, a combined Singapore-UK flagship project lead by RAL Space and the spin-off business SpeQtral, will likely be the first entanglement-based QKD mission launched outside of China. It is supported by £10 million in joint government financing. The quantum keys will be downlinked from the satellite to ground stations in Singapore and Chilbolton, UK. It will be the first real-world example of intercontinental quantum-secure key distribution outside of the major-power competition if everything goes according to plan.
Reading through the truly substantial body of research output from CQT and NTU’s Nanyang Quantum Hub gives the impression that Singapore has positioned itself for the portion of the quantum revolution that does not require it to compete directly with China or the United States on raw quantum computer performance.
The nation will not surpass IBM’s or Google’s quantum processor initiatives. It doesn’t have to. Instead, it has created the infrastructure layer, which includes fiber networks, satellite proofs of concept, QKD trials with banks like DBS, OCBC, UOB, and HSBC, spin-off businesses like SpeQtral and AQSolotl bringing quantum hardware to market, 14 PhD students, and an expanding pool of qualified researchers under the National Quantum Scholarship Scheme.
The ultimate quantum-era substitute for the internet is unlikely to be a single product introduced on a single day. The components, standards, and field-tested deployments that will eventually become the new default will be built gradually, patiently, and with adequate funding, just like what is currently taking place on Kent Ridge. It’s unclear if 2026 will be the year that becomes clear. It’s not the labor itself.