Cisco has unveiled a prototype of its universal network switch, the Cisco Universal Quantum Switch, that it says can connect quantum computers from different vendors without damaging their quantum states.

SiliconANGLE reported on April 23 that the device supports quantum computing scalability by connecting multiple quantum systems as if they were a single integrated system.

The Cisco Universal Quantum Switch is not yet a commercial product. It is a working research prototype. Cisco sees building larger quantum computers and networking multiple quantum computers as two pillars for opening a practical quantum era.

Cisco said current quantum computers remain at the level of hundreds to thousands of qubits. The number is expected to rise to tens of thousands over the next few years, but far larger scale is needed to deliver performance that can be used in practice.

The key feature of the Cisco Universal Quantum Switch is its ability to convert between different quantum information encoding methods in the middle. The switch operates at room temperature and uses optical fiber for communications. It also includes a conversion system that changes between different quantum technology encoding methods at the input and output stages. That means quantum computers from different companies can communicate through the switch.

The Cisco Universal Quantum Switch can connect up to 100 km outside data centers. Cisco said additional verification is needed for conversion technology and core technologies related to preserving quantum states before commercialization.

Cisco plans to build, over the long term, a network layer for quantum networking that includes hardware, software and protocols, and to continue working with IBM and Atom Computing, among others. Vijoy Pandey (비조이 판데이), senior vice president and head of Cisco Outshift, said connecting quantum systems is key to true scalability and that the achievement is an important advance but only the beginning.