With 2025 marking the acceleration of quantum readiness across Europe, how do you see PQC and QKD reshaping enterprise security strategies here? Do you expect PQC and QKD to compete or complement each other as enterprises build their long-term security strategies in Europe?

The recently published European Quantum Strategy isn't just a policy document; it's the culmination of a continent-wide awakening. The message is clear: the quantum threat is imminent, and resilience is no longer optional. This strategic push, built on years of groundwork through initiatives like EuroQCI, is fundamentally reshaping how enterprises view their long-term security.

The conversation has shifted from “if” to “how”. And in that "how," Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) are not rivals; they are essential partners. Think of it as building a next-generation fortress.

PQC provides the new, unbreakable digital locks: standardized, software-based, and perfect for securing the vast, interconnected digital world from apps to cloud data.

QKD, meanwhile, forges the physical layer of protection to secure data channels: a layer of security dictated by the laws of physics itself, instead of mathematical algorithms, to protect the most critical data flows between core locations.

Enterprises are now building strategies that use PQC for its scalability and interoperability across their entire digital infrastructure, while deploying QKD on their crown-jewel links (between data centres, core financial networks, and government hubs) for that ultimate, physics-guaranteed layer of long-term protection.

Q: Which industries in Europe—finance, telecoms, defence, or critical infrastructure—do you believe will lead in PQC/QKD adoption?

While governments are setting the stage, the most exciting innovation is happening in the private sector. We see a vanguard of industries already moving beyond pilots into live deployments.

Telecom operators are the undisputed pioneers. They are not just securing their own backbones; they are innovating new business models by offering Quantum-Secure Connectivity as a Service, turning resilience into a product.

Financial institutions are fast followers, protecting high-value interbank transactions and sensitive market data. We are already seeing QKD-secured links carrying real financial traffic, making the concept of "quantum theft" a preventable reality.

And perhaps most critically, data centres and cloud providers are acting. We've worked with them to secure the optical fibres that link critical sites and, in a key demonstration with partners like AWS, to create quantum-safe access routes to the cloud. This isn't a future plan; these are real-world deployments protecting live data today.

Q: What is your organisation most excited to showcase in Rotterdam around quantum-safe encryption?

We're excited to move beyond theory and showcase the tangible reality of a quantum-secured Europe. Our focus is on demonstrating how this technology integrates and protects today.

We will present practical examples from the field. From how QKD now secures a hospital's patient data, to how a financial artery between trading hubs is now quantum-resistant, and data centre providers deploying quantum-safe links into their core network, all without disrupting their existing operations.

This is about presenting a clear and actionable roadmap. We'll illustrate how our Continuous Variable-QKD technology leverages standard telecom fiber and components, integrating seamlessly into current infrastructure to provide a future-proof security layer that is ready now.

Q: Many European enterprises view PQC as “still emerging.” Should they be investing now to prepare for Q-Day, or can they afford to wait?

Waiting is the single biggest risk an enterprise can take. The misconception is that the countdown starts when a quantum computer is switched on. In reality, the clock began ticking years ago.

Adversaries are already conducting "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, stockpiling encrypted data with the expectation of breaking it open in the future. A multi-year migration cannot begin the day the threat arrives; it must start now to protect the sensitive data that is confidential today and will remain so for decades.

The roadmap is set. Standards bodies like NIST have mandated the transition. PQC provides the critical first line of defence for digital assets. Still, for the most sensitive, long-life data in motion, QKD is the only technology that offers a physics-based guarantee against any computational threat, present or future. The time for preparation is over; the time for deployment has begun.

Q: From a European market perspective, what are the main barriers to PQC/QKD adoption—cost, interoperability, skills, or awareness?

The primary barrier is still awareness. Many decision-makers perceive quantum-safe solutions as a distant concern, unaware of the technology's maturity or the immediacy of the threat. Our first mission is always education.

The second is interoperability. Enterprises need confidence that new solutions will work within their complex, existing ecosystems. This is why we rigorously design to ETSI standards and demonstrably integrate with multi-vendor environments, proving that QKD is not a standalone system, but an integrated layer of quantum-safe networking technology.

While cost is a consideration, innovation is rapidly addressing it. Our approach with CV-QKD, for instance, utilizes standard, cost-effective telecom components and enables quantum signals to share fiber with classical data traffic, dramatically reducing the total cost of ownership and making widespread deployment a practical reality.

By, Sergi Vizcaíno LuxQuanta Technologies S.L.