Luxembourg’s Quantum Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Defence (LUQY)

Cyber-Physical Infrastructures (CPIs) play a critical role in modern society, supporting essential services such as water, energy, transportation, and defence. The increasing digitisation and interconnectivity of these infrastructures introduce vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks, which could compromise their integrity and operational continuity. In particular, secure communication between distributed CPI nodes is at risk, as these nodes often rely on public or shared networks for transmitting vital data. Traditional cryptographic methods, while effective today, face potential obsolescence with the advent of quantum computing. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a promising solution by leveraging quantum mechanics to ensure secure key exchange, providing a defence mechanism that is theoretically immune to quantum attacks. The Luxembourg Quantum Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Defence (LUQY) project aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of QKD in securing Luxembourg’s critical infrastructures, including military applications. The project will focus on defining key use cases for QKD deployment, analysing commercial QKD solutions, establishing security assessment guidelines, and developing a QKD-enabled CPI testbed. This testbed will integrate emulated CPI nodes into the Luxembourg Quantum Communication Infrastructure Lab, enabling the assessment of different QKD-network topologies. By demonstrating the practical application of QKD in critical infrastructure defence, LUQY will contribute to securing national assets against advanced cyber threats, particularly in the context of Smart Grid security and broader military applications. The project aligns with Luxembourg’s cybersecurity priorities and aims to support the transition toward a quantum-secure infrastructure for the future.