Quantum B Secures European Patent for Quantum Conference Key Agreement Protocol Supporting Consensus in Distributed Systems

Insider Brief

• Quantum B secured a European patent covering its Quantum Conference Key Agreement protocol for reaching consensus in distributed systems.
• The protocol uses quantum-entangled states and correlated measurement results to help independent network nodes agree on shared data.
• Quantum B said it is continuing to develop the protocol alongside post-quantum and quantum-security technologies, including its pQKD hardware platform.

PRESS RELEASE — Quantum B, Inc. (formerly Quantum Blockchains) announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted the company a patent covering its Quantum Conference Key Agreement protocol and its application in distributed systems. The invention enables networks of independent nodes to reach consensus on shared data by leveraging randomness generated through quantum-entangled states, thereby reducing reliance on exclusively classical cryptographic assumptions.

Scope of the Patent

The patent claims describe a system that generates time-bin encoded photons and transforms them into time-bin GHZ states. They also cover a method in which network nodes receive measurement outcomes derived from qubits distributed by a quantum server while communicating with one another over classical Internet channels.