ITMO University will start developing unbreakable storage systems
According to some experts, the value of the quantum cryptography market by 2018 will reach $ 1 billion. Therefore, it is not surprising that active developments are underway in this area. For example, at the end of February of this year, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the manufacturer of telecommunications equipment Nokia and the mobile operator SK Telecom presented their prototype of a quantum cryptographic system.
A year earlier, scientists from the University of Cambridge and Toshiba demonstrated the technology of distributing cryptographic quantum keys, working twice as fast as similar solutions. Developments in the field of cryptographic technologies are conducted in Russia.
/ Flickr / Adam Foster / CC
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Quantum protection is based on the physical principle, according to which it is impossible to read the state of a photon without consequences. The first impact changes the particle, which indicates an attempt to access the channel by a third party.
“Thus, the information that is transmitted in the form of single-photon laser pulses over existing fiber-optic communication channels is protected from eavesdropping, and hacking the system essentially contradicts the laws of physics,” notes Arthur Glaim, CEO of Quantum Communications base ITMO University.
Scientists at ITMO University have long been involved in quantum technology and have experience developing quantum communication systems. It is, in particular, about R & D, in which it was proposed to generate single photons (information carriers) as a result of the phase modulation of classical pulses and transmit quantum signals over long distances via an optical cable.
At the same time, the system developed by the Quantum Communications company is based on the use of subcarrier frequencies (quantum signals are brought to the side frequencies). The principle of operation of such a system is the following: a pulse generated by a laser (at a given frequency) is transmitted through an electro-optical phase modulator. A signal is sent to the modulator at a lower frequency, as a result of which the coding is performed by the parameters of the auxiliary sinusoid. The quantum information itself is transmitted by the detuning of additional frequencies (there may be several of them) in the spectrum of the pulse relative to the central frequency.
In this case, the spectrum is transmitted over the communication lines by a single pulse, therefore, any changes that the transmission medium makes affect the entire pulse. This approach allows not only to track any interference in the process of information transfer, but also to remove restrictions on the speed and distance of data transmission and to increase the efficiency of quantum cryptographic systems in optical networks.
Such systems in the future will create a new type of infrastructure. In the future, we will see how integrated software-defined networks will emerge, using both protected quantum key distribution systems and traditional encryption to protect data. We can also expect the appearance of quantum repeaters (for example, SK Telecom is already in the process of creating so-called trusted nodes) designed to increase the distance for transmitting quantum keys.
The scientists of ITMO University will take part in building a new safe world. Recently, the University team won a government grant to create a management system for a geographically distributed data center. The main feature is communication channels protected by quantum technologies.
The project was initiated by the supplier of telecommunication networks and communication services - the company "SMARTS". The project itself was divided into two stages. First, software systems for managing data centers based on SDN and virtualization technologies will be implemented. Then, in the solution, quantum systems of data broadcast channel protection will be introduced. It is important to note that the quantum part will be developed with an eye to working with distributed data centers (DPC).
Typically, most of the IT infrastructure costs are for storage systems. According to the Statista business statistics portal, this figure was $ 46.5 billion in 2016, and in 2019 it will increase to 51.3 billion. The developers note that the system being created will make it possible to increase the safety of data storage and transfer and more efficiently use the resources allocated for this purpose.
“Currently, large organizations place their data centers in different cities of a particular country, in different countries and even on different continents. And the task of increasing the efficiency of using the aggregate resources of a distributed system is the most urgent for these companies, ” says Oleg Sadov, a leading employee of the laboratory of network technologies in distributed computer systems.
Now the team of the university is working on systems that can integrate into the IT infrastructure in a way that is familiar to telecommunications operators - the emphasis will be on a modular approach. As the project leader and Dean of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies Sergey Khoruznikov notes, the system will be created using software-customized solutions and resource virtualization.
Thus, developers want to set a new level of interaction with users when different technical aspects are scaled to individual requests. The team is working on an unbreakable and effectively managed data center technology. And since in other projects, scientists create only individual elements of such systems, the development of the ITMO University, according to Sergey Khoruzhnikov, has no analogues in the world. At the end of the three-year grant period, scientists will submit prototypes of all components necessary for the operation of the system.
PS More news from our life: ITMO University begins training IT specialists in the field of neurotechnology .
A year earlier, scientists from the University of Cambridge and Toshiba demonstrated the technology of distributing cryptographic quantum keys, working twice as fast as similar solutions. Developments in the field of cryptographic technologies are conducted in Russia.
/ Flickr / Adam Foster / CC')
Quantum experience
Quantum protection is based on the physical principle, according to which it is impossible to read the state of a photon without consequences. The first impact changes the particle, which indicates an attempt to access the channel by a third party.
“Thus, the information that is transmitted in the form of single-photon laser pulses over existing fiber-optic communication channels is protected from eavesdropping, and hacking the system essentially contradicts the laws of physics,” notes Arthur Glaim, CEO of Quantum Communications base ITMO University.
Scientists at ITMO University have long been involved in quantum technology and have experience developing quantum communication systems. It is, in particular, about R & D, in which it was proposed to generate single photons (information carriers) as a result of the phase modulation of classical pulses and transmit quantum signals over long distances via an optical cable.
At the same time, the system developed by the Quantum Communications company is based on the use of subcarrier frequencies (quantum signals are brought to the side frequencies). The principle of operation of such a system is the following: a pulse generated by a laser (at a given frequency) is transmitted through an electro-optical phase modulator. A signal is sent to the modulator at a lower frequency, as a result of which the coding is performed by the parameters of the auxiliary sinusoid. The quantum information itself is transmitted by the detuning of additional frequencies (there may be several of them) in the spectrum of the pulse relative to the central frequency.
In this case, the spectrum is transmitted over the communication lines by a single pulse, therefore, any changes that the transmission medium makes affect the entire pulse. This approach allows not only to track any interference in the process of information transfer, but also to remove restrictions on the speed and distance of data transmission and to increase the efficiency of quantum cryptographic systems in optical networks.
Such systems in the future will create a new type of infrastructure. In the future, we will see how integrated software-defined networks will emerge, using both protected quantum key distribution systems and traditional encryption to protect data. We can also expect the appearance of quantum repeaters (for example, SK Telecom is already in the process of creating so-called trusted nodes) designed to increase the distance for transmitting quantum keys.
The scientists of ITMO University will take part in building a new safe world. Recently, the University team won a government grant to create a management system for a geographically distributed data center. The main feature is communication channels protected by quantum technologies.
New project plan
The project was initiated by the supplier of telecommunication networks and communication services - the company "SMARTS". The project itself was divided into two stages. First, software systems for managing data centers based on SDN and virtualization technologies will be implemented. Then, in the solution, quantum systems of data broadcast channel protection will be introduced. It is important to note that the quantum part will be developed with an eye to working with distributed data centers (DPC).
Typically, most of the IT infrastructure costs are for storage systems. According to the Statista business statistics portal, this figure was $ 46.5 billion in 2016, and in 2019 it will increase to 51.3 billion. The developers note that the system being created will make it possible to increase the safety of data storage and transfer and more efficiently use the resources allocated for this purpose.
“Currently, large organizations place their data centers in different cities of a particular country, in different countries and even on different continents. And the task of increasing the efficiency of using the aggregate resources of a distributed system is the most urgent for these companies, ” says Oleg Sadov, a leading employee of the laboratory of network technologies in distributed computer systems.
Now the team of the university is working on systems that can integrate into the IT infrastructure in a way that is familiar to telecommunications operators - the emphasis will be on a modular approach. As the project leader and Dean of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies Sergey Khoruznikov notes, the system will be created using software-customized solutions and resource virtualization.
Thus, developers want to set a new level of interaction with users when different technical aspects are scaled to individual requests. The team is working on an unbreakable and effectively managed data center technology. And since in other projects, scientists create only individual elements of such systems, the development of the ITMO University, according to Sergey Khoruzhnikov, has no analogues in the world. At the end of the three-year grant period, scientists will submit prototypes of all components necessary for the operation of the system.
PS More news from our life: ITMO University begins training IT specialists in the field of neurotechnology .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/325346/
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