Arqit, founded over five years ago, is working with carriers and enterprises to secure networks against what many are calling “Q-Day” – the moment when quantum computers could undermine widely used public-key encryption.

Speaking with Capacity Media, Andy Leaver, CEO of Arqit, and Dr Daniel Shiu, the company’s chief cryptographer, explained why telcos are leading the charge in adopting quantum-safe solutions, and how partnerships with the likes of Vodafone, TI Sparkle and Intel are driving their growth.

“Last year was the year of AI. This year is the year of quantum,” says Leaver. “There’s been a lot of discussion about Q-Day, when quantum computers will have the ability to break much of today’s public-key encryption. That’s creating a big influx of inbound activity from carriers and enterprises asking: how do we protect ourselves, and what platform should we use?”

For Shiu, the issue is not just about anticipating the unknown, but also addressing today’s vulnerabilities. “Telecommunications had shifted to rely heavily on the internet and the cryptography it provides,” he explains. “But just as that became mainstream, the cryptography itself is being called into question. What helps customers is simplicity. The best cybersecurity comes from doing simple things right, and our technology just works.”

Arqit’s most advanced work so far has been with Italian Telecommunications company, Sparkle, where proof-of-concepts have already been executed. “It’s almost like the early days of the internet again,” says Leaver. “Telcos are reassessing what quantum means for their networks. Where do they need to secure themselves long term, and how do they protect critical infrastructure like undersea cables, which we’ve already seen being disrupted?”

Vodafone, meanwhile, is helping to take Arqit’s platform to market through its Tomorrow Street innovation hub. “Vodafone have always been early adopters of new technologies,” says Leaver. “They give us reach into their business customer base, including Fortune 500 companies who may soon demand 5G, SD-WAN or cloud networks that are quantum-safe. Vodafone’s international footprint means the potential impact is even greater.”

At the heart of Arqit’s proposition is its symmetric key encryption platform, what Leaver calls “the gold standard” for securing sensitive data. The company’s system allows secure communications across diverse environments, from air-gapped networks to cloud and SD-WAN, through a single, unified platform.

Arqit has also worked closely with Intel. The companies have demonstrated quantum-safe networking on Intel platforms, with Arqit’s SKA running on Xeon processors and integrations targeting Xeon D-based network cards and Intel’s NetSec Accelerator Reference Design—aimed at ‘out-of-the-box’ high-performance IPsec that’s resistant to quantum attacks.

The Intel collaboration is also a response to two mega-trends: data sovereignty and secure computing. “Data rarely sits in a single cloud or jurisdiction anymore,” says Leaver. “Intel’s technology allows data to be processed securely on silicon, regardless of where it physically resides. Combined with Arqit’s platform, it gives enterprises control of their keys and sovereignty over their data.”

On the defence side, Arqit is part of Oracle’s ecosystem, supporting US government and NATO-aligned projects. “Modern warfare is changing, with drones and edge devices generating huge amounts of sensitive data,” says Leaver. “How you connect and secure that in coalition environments is a massive challenge – one we think we can play a big role in.”

While defence is a natural early adopter, Arqit sees financial services, pharmaceuticals and AI workloads following close behind. “Large language models contain vast amounts of sensitive historical data,” notes Leaver. “Enterprises want to ensure that remains secure, even against future threats. Similarly, healthcare and drug discovery rely on sensitive datasets that must be protected.”

Critical infrastructure is another pressing concern. “Data centres are now so vast they create new risks,” says Leaver. “Cooling, power, and the concentration of sensitive workloads make them critical infrastructure in themselves. In the UK we’ve only just started recognising this, but the US has already classified a wide range of sectors as critical infrastructure.”

For Shiu, the next frontier is standards. “Changing the encryption underpinning the internet is a huge international undertaking,” he explains. “The US has led with NIST algorithms, but Europe, China, Russia, Korea and even Ukraine have their own approaches. Achieving consensus is tricky – and time is short.”

Leaver adds: “That uncertainty is why we’ve designed a platform abstracted from hardware and flexible across standards. Nations may differ, but enterprises need solutions that are future-proof and simple to deploy today.”

Quantum computing may still feel like tomorrow’s problem, but for Arqit and its customers, the urgency is already here. “The store-now-decrypt-later threat is real,” says Leaver. “Adversaries may already be harvesting encrypted data to decrypt when quantum becomes practical. We’re helping customers act now, not wait for Q-Day headlines.”

Shiu puts it more simply: “The measure of good security is that it works, and that it keeps working as the landscape changes. That’s what we’re giving our customers.”