In September 2017, China launched the Beijing-Shanghai quantum fiber link, a quantum key distribution (QKD) backbone spanning over 2,000 kilometers and connecting four major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan, and Hefei. The backbone was supplemented by the Micius satellite for longer-range QKD.
As reported by TechNode, partners in the project included the State Grid Corporation of China, the country’s state-owned electricity utility. The backbone served as the core infrastructure for metropolitan quantum networks in each of the four connected cities.
Users of the network included financial institutions and government agencies. China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation was reported to be among the earliest clients, using the quantum link to send design drawings between institutes in Beijing and Shanghai and shipyards across the country. Alibaba had jointly established a Shanghai-based quantum computation lab with CAS as part of the broader quantum infrastructure effort.