Bangladeshi scientist Sharif leads quantum internet research in Canada

Groundbreaking research has begun in Canada to make the future internet based on quantum technology. It is being led by Bangladeshi nanophotonics expert and Canada Research Chair in III-nitride Compound Semiconductor Nanostructures and Devices Professor Sharif M. Sadaf.

The “Scalable solid-state semiconductor platform for on-chip quantum communication” project, which was launched under his leadership, has been allocated 1.17 million Canadian dollars (Alliance Quantum grant) over four years. McGill University, Polytechnique Montreal, and industry partners Xanadu, CMC Microsystems, OptoElectronic Components, and Numana are participating in it.

The main objective of the research is to develop a state-of-the-art semiconductor platform capable of creating and controlling quantum photon states. This will enable future electronics, optoelectronics, and computer hardware, as well as on-chip quantum communication technologies, ushering in a new era of global internet systems.

In addition, another project is underway under the leadership of Professors Roberto Morandotti and José Azana—“High-dimensional photonic systems for quantum information processing.” This research has been allocated 1.275 million Canadian dollars for a period of four years. Its goal is to create a scalable photonic quantum processor using complex photonic states.

Researchers hope that if this initiative is successful, it will be possible to implement high-level quantum algorithms, create a testbed for secure quantum communication over fiber-optic links, and build a commercially usable quantum internet.