NTT pushed for international coordination on network architecture and interoperability in connecting quantum computers with AI infrastructure and data center facilities.

Participants at a recent ITU-T roundtable in New Delhi backed continued discussions on those requirements, according to the meeting’s communiqué. NTT announced the outcome on Oct. 16.

Neither NTT’s announcement nor the meeting’s communiqué identifies a new standards work item or a timetable for specifications.

NTT will host the next CxO Roundtable in Japan in 2027. The communiqué places the event at the NTT R&D Forum in Tokyo.

Connecting quantum and classical infrastructure

NTT’s proposal identified network architecture, interoperability, synchronization and control, and operational management as areas requiring international dialogue.

The company argued that quantum computing’s value could extend beyond standalone machines through connections among multiple quantum computers, AI infrastructure, and data centers.

NTT presented its optical quantum computing research alongside the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN), its initiative to improve network and computing infrastructure efficiency. It highlighted the shared technological foundations of photonic computing and optical communications.

The communiqué highlighted the potential for advanced photonic infrastructure, including all-photonic networking concepts such as IOWN, to support interconnected quantum systems. It did not specify interfaces, interoperability tests, or participating implementations.

Networks cross infrastructure boundaries

The quantum discussion sat within a wider debate about infrastructure spanning multiple data centers, cloud platforms, network operators, and countries.

Participants emphasized open, interoperable connectivity to help independently operated infrastructure work together efficiently and securely. They also called for telecommunications, power, and data center infrastructure to evolve together as AI’s energy demands grow.

The optical networking discussion referenced ION-2030, ITU’s standards framework for international optical networks toward 2030 and beyond, which emphasizes performance, sustainability, resilience, and the relationship between optical networks and AI.

The invitation-only roundtable took place alongside India Mobile Congress, bringing industry executives together with senior management from the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. Participating organizations included Ericsson, KDDI, NTT, Sterlite Technologies, Türk Telekom, and 1Finity.

NTT said it would continue the discussions through relevant ITU meetings and activities, involving industry, research institutions, governments, and standards bodies.

Elsewhere in the group, NTT DoCoMo Business agreed earlier this month to market Classiq’s quantum development platform and help enterprise customers develop and evaluate applications. In June, it announced the start of construction, with Toshiba and NEC, of a roughly 373-mile quantum key distribution network connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.