Welinq sells QDrive quantum memory in Europe

Insider Brief

• Welinq has completed its first commercial sale of QDrive, a quantum memory system, to the Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for deployment in Slovakia’s national quantum communication infrastructure (skQCI project).
• QDrive enables storage, buffering, and synchronization of quantum states, supporting scalable quantum networks and future quantum-enabled data centers, as reported by Welinq.
• The system was developed through European research initiatives, including the Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA) and EIC-backed programs, and additional QDrive units are already in production for research facilities, quantum networks, and data centers.

PRESS RELEASE — Just two years after the start of its development, QDrive has progressed from advanced research to product-grade, commercial quantum memory. Designed, industrialized, and brought to market in a record time, QDrive’s first commercial sale marks a key step in the deployment of quantum networking technologies.  

‍This contract is part of a broader deployment roadmap. Additional QDrive systems are already in production for research facilities, quantum networks, and data-center infrastructure, supporting Welinq’s strategy to scale quantum-ready networking technologies toward industrial adoption. 

‍The skQCI Project: Building National and European Quantum Infrastructure 

‍The skQCI project aims to establish Slovakia’s national quantum communication infrastructure, contributing to the wider European effort to deploy secure, quantum-ready networks within the EuroQCI framework. Led by the Institute of Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences (IP SAS), the nation’s premier scientific research institution, with the support of Slovak National Center for Quantum Technologies (QUTE.sk) the project underscores Slovakia’s commitment to strengthening its strategic research and cybersecurity infrastructure.

Quantum memories play a central role in this effort. By enabling the storage, buffering, andsynchronization of quantum states, they allow networks to scale beyond point-to-point links and overcome fundamental distance limitations in optical fibers. These capabilities are essential notonly for quantum-secure communications, but also for more advanced networked quantum computing architectures. 

‍The integration of QDrive into the skQCI infrastructure will introduce a robust, high-performance quantum memory into an operational network, supporting Slovakia’s national objectives while contributing to the broader maturation of quantum networking technologies in Europe.

Rooted in Europe, Scaling Globally 

‍QDrive is the result of a unique European innovation pathway that connects academic research, public support, and industrial execution. 

Its foundations lie in research supported by the Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA), and its development was accelerated through Welinq’s participation in EIC-backed programs. Together, these efforts enabled the transition from experimental concepts to a commercially deployable product, aligned with the objectives of the EuroQCI and the Quantum Flagship. 

‍While deeply rooted inEurope, Welinq’s ambitions are global and 2026 will see expansion move toward North America and Asia.

Quantum-Ready Networks and Data-Centers 

‍Welinq is working to enable scalable quantum infrastructure, spanning secure communications, distributed quantum computing, and quantum-augmented data centers. 

‍Quantum memories are a cornerstone of this vision. They enable the extension and coordination of quantum networks, the synchronization of distributed quantum resources, and the construction of more advanced architectures based on entanglement distribution. 

‍With QDrive, Welinq delivers quantum memory as a practical infrastructure component, available today for communication networks, and engineered for future deployments in data-centers. 

‍Deployments such as skQCI represent an important step in thisdirection, demonstrating how quantum networking technologies can support both secure national infrastructures and the longer-term evolution toward heterogeneous quantum computing clusters and quantum-enabled data centers.