Creating the same crystal through an alternative method could dramatically extend the reach of quantum networks, increasing their range from only a few kilometers to as much as 2,000 km. This advance brings the prospect of a quantum internet significantly closer to reality.
Quantum computers are extremely fast and capable, yet they remain very challenging to link over long distances.
Until recently, the farthest two quantum computers could communicate through a fiber cable was only a few kilometers. In practical terms, even if a fiber line connected them directly, a quantum computer on the University of Chicago’s South Side campus would still be unable to exchange information with one located in the Willis Tower downtown.
New research published November 6, 2025, in Nature Communications by University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) Asst. Prof. Tian Zhong shows that this distance could expand dramatically to 2,000 km (1,243 miles).
Using Zhong’s method, the same UChicago quantum computer that once could not reach the Willis Tower could now, in theory, communicate with a quantum computer situated outside Salt Lake City, Utah.
“For the first time, the technology for building a global-scale quantum internet is within reach,” said Zhong, who recently received the prestigious Sturge Prize for this work.
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