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As data and communication security come under growing pressure, from both quantum computers and increasingly powerful classical technologies, information security is emerging as the area where quantum computing could deliver real, near-term value. That is the view of Hannu Kauppinen, CEO and Co-Founder of QMill, a pioneering quantum algorithm and software company.

Kauppinen made these points at the IQT Nordics conference in Oslo, held June 22-24, where he gave a talk and took part in a related panel discussion. Information security clearly stood out as a topic gaining importance across the event, with several speakers stressing the urgency of moving to quantum-safe encryption. At QMill’s own booth, the company’s quantum-enhanced security method attracted the most interest from visitors.

QMill, based in Espoo, Finland, develops quantum algorithms and software designed to make quantum computing useful on today’s hardware. The company’s work is organized around two areas: information security and industry solutions such as optimization. QMill also offers its tools for researchers and developers, such as the record-breaking circuit compressor. Of the two business-facing areas, Kauppinen explained, information security is the nearest-term opportunity: it can deliver a real advantage over classical methods using relatively small, imperfect quantum computers, and it addresses a problem that businesses and governments are dealing with right now.

QMill makes a near-term case for stronger security in existing networks

That urgency has two sources. Current encryption standards are increasingly at risk from more powerful classical computers, a trend accelerated by AI. At the same time, the wider industry is working to adopt post-quantum cryptography (PQC), the next generation of encryption standards built to resist quantum attacks. However, researchers have started to question how long even PQC will hold up, with some estimates suggesting today’s PQC methods could be challenged sometime during the 2030s.

QMill’s response is a new quantum-enhanced encryption method, designed to protect messages against attacks carried out with either classical or quantum computing resources. The method is enabled by a quantum computer, accessed locally or through the cloud. QMill showcased the method in cooperation with telecom operator Telia Finland in May, testing it in the most critical part of Telia’s network. According to Telia, the approach could eventually be applied more widely, potentially establishing a new standard for encrypted communications in the long term. The demonstration complements Telia’s earlier trial of quantum key distribution (QKD), which transmits quantum states directly and requires dedicated infrastructure. Unlike QKD, QMill’s method is designed to work on networks that already exist, such as the standard mobile network used in this demonstration.

The method has also been demonstrated to the Finnish Defence Forces. Its C5 Division said that encryption is a critical part of the Defence Forces’ information networks, and that testing new technology together with companies offers a useful perspective on how developments in encryption and quantum computing could affect the systems it relies on. QMill and Telia plan to expand the demonstrated connection to a wider variety of use cases as part of their ongoing cooperation, and QMill intends to turn the method into a standalone product, as well as offer it as an additional layer of protection alongside existing encryption methods.

AI powering tools such as compression and obfuscation

Kauppinen gave his talk under the theme “AI for Quantum for AI.” In the related panel discussion, he described “AI-for-quantum” as a short-term priority, reflecting how AI is now being applied to engineering work across almost every industry, including QMill’s own. AI already supports the company’s product development, for example in tools that compress and obfuscate quantum circuits, and it speeds up the company’s algorithm research. He repeated that the strongest near-term business case is in quantum security, while the bigger, longer-term opportunity lies in industrial optimization and simulation, once quantum hardware matures further. “But perhaps in the very long term, it will be about AI-for-quantum-for-AI,” he added.