Here’s a simple (albeit farsighted) question. 

What will protect India’s data in the age of quantum computing?

It’s a question two engineers, Sunil Gupta and Srinivasa Rao Aluri, asked in 2016. 

This was still a time when quantum technology was largely confined to research laboratories, but the duo recognised that today’s encryption methods could eventually become vulnerable to quantum computers. 

They set out to build technologies that could secure India’s digital future. Incubated at IIT Madras before moving to Bengaluru, QNu Labs has since evolved into one of the country’s only full-stack quantum cybersecurity companies, developing indigenous hardware, software, and secure applications for defence, banking, government, and critical infrastructure.

At the heart of QNu Labs’ innovation is its focus on quantum-safe communication. 

Unlike conventional cybersecurity systems that concentrate on detecting attacks after they occur, the company aims to prevent attacks by fundamentally strengthening encryption. Its flagship technology, Armos, uses Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which generates encryption keys without transmitting them over the communication network. 

Since the keys are never sent, they cannot be intercepted, and any attempt to eavesdrop is immediately detected using the laws of quantum physics. This provides a level of security that relies on the principles of nature rather than computational complexity alone.

The company has also developed Tropos, a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) that creates truly unpredictable random numbers derived from quantum processes instead of computer algorithms. These random numbers form the basis of stronger encryption keys that are significantly harder to predict or compromise. 

Complementing these technologies is the company’s post-quantum cryptography, designed to remain secure even when powerful quantum computers become capable of breaking many of today’s encryption systems. 

Together, these innovations are integrated into QShield, a platform that combines QKD, QRNG, post-quantum cryptography, and secure applications into a single ecosystem. A major advantage is that organisations can deploy QShield over their existing telecom fibre and digital infrastructure without replacing entire networks, making adoption practical and cost-effective.

The company’s 1,000-kilometre Quantum Key Distribution network established over existing telecom fibre achieves 99.3 percent uptime, proving that large-scale quantum-safe networks are commercially viable. 

Beyond product development, QNu Labs is strengthening India’s quantum ecosystem through indigenous patents, collaborations, and QNu Academy, which trains students and engineers in quantum technologies. Together, these innovations position the startup as a key contributor to India’s National Quantum Mission and the country’s long-term cybersecurity preparedness.

Exploring the need for advanced encryption

“The encryption protecting your world is already expiring.” With this belief in mind, QNu sets out to explore quantum cybersecurity. 

Quantum computing will break every system built on RSA and ECC.

RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) are two of the world’s most widely used public-key encryption systems. They form the backbone of modern digital security, protecting everything from online banking and digital payments to email, messaging apps, government communications, and websites. 

Their security depends on mathematical problems that are extremely difficult for conventional computers to solve, which is why they have remained reliable for decades.

RSA works by using two very large prime numbers to generate encryption keys. While multiplying these numbers together is relatively easy, reversing the process to identify the original prime numbers from their product is extraordinarily difficult for today’s computers. ECC, on the other hand, is based on a different branch of mathematics involving points on elliptic curves. Instead of relying on the difficulty of factoring numbers, it depends on the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem, which is also considered computationally infeasible for classical computers.