QKD addresses the demand for cryptography which will remain secure from attack by the supercomputers of tomorrow. In particular, a large-scale quantum computer will be able to efficiently solve the difficult mathematical problems that are the basis of the public key cryptography widely used today for secure communications and e-commerce. In contrast, the protocols used for quantum cryptography can be proven secure from first principles and will not be vulnerable to attack by a quantum computer, or indeed any computer in the future.
According to Toshiba's long-term estimates - extrapolated from existing short to mid-term estimates by research firms - the QKD market is expected to grow to approximately $20bn worldwide by 2035. Large quantum-secured fibre networks are currently under construction in Europe and South-East Asia and there are plans to launch satellites that can extend the networks to a global scale. In October 2020, Toshiba released two products...