A week ago, the University of Pretoria became a new center within the South African Quantum Technologies Initiative (SA QuTI), launching UP Quantum Science and Technology – UPQuST. This center is one of six nationally funded research hubs. The university announced that this node, which will be supported by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) for five years, will help 'translate cutting-edge research into practical solutions for society and industry.'
The emergence of such promises raises a natural question: after four years of the national quantum technology development program in South Africa, is industry truly participating in the process, or does it remain a purely academic endeavor? According to SA QuTI project leader Jody Roberts, the process is beginning to move beyond laboratories as one of the spin-off companies has already started selling its first product.
SA QuTI was established in 2022 with funding from DSTI with the aim of 'developing the quantum technology industry in South Africa.' In April 2025, the initiative moved to its second phase, receiving DSTI support of 142 million rand over five years. The program covers three main areas of quantum technologies: quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum metrology, sensing, and visualization. The number of nodes is not fixed; institutions must meet certain requirements to join, and UP is just the latest of the new participants.
Other nodes are located at the University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, KwaZulu-Natal University, Zululand University, and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Roberts noted that SA QuTI is working on technological demonstrators at various stages of development, and their applications are very broad—from optimization and logistics to healthcare and security.
When asked about the network's results, Roberts cited several scientific achievements. Among them are an intelligent quantum camera combining artificial intelligence and quantum principles for a system whose speed has been increased by 30 times; the longest secure communication channel from South Africa to China (approximately 13,000 km); a world record for quantum state teleportation; and new discoveries on how to make quantum information robust, as well as machine learning advancements running on quantum computers.
The connection between South Africa and China, achieved between Beijing and Stellenbosch University in October 2024, spanning 12,900 km, is currently the longest intercontinental quantum communication channel and the first satellite channel in the Southern Hemisphere. Work on enhancing quantum information robustness is linked to a breakthrough made at the University of the Witwatersrand in late 2025, where researchers developed quantum states with topological properties that preserve information even during the decay of fragile 'quantum entanglement' between particles—one of the main obstacles for practical quantum networks and computers.
Although these achievements remain demonstrations rather than ready-to-sell products, commercial activity around the network is beginning to emerge, and industry interest is focused primarily on one topic—security. Roberts emphasized that from a business perspective, attention and involvement are directed towards post-quantum security, making quantum computing the main area of interest, which has led to increased interaction with the financial and cybersecurity sectors.
This aligns with warnings from local scientists about the need to create a national 'quantum defense strategy' in South Africa to prepare for 'Q Day'—the moment when quantum computers become powerful enough to crack encryption protecting banks, telecommunication networks, and critical infrastructure. The most evident sign of commercialization is the network's spin-off companies. Roberts reported that the nodes have spin-off companies at various levels; for example, Button Optics is ready to sell its first quantum-inspired instrumentation.
Button Optics originated within the Structured Light Laboratory at the University of the Witwatersrand, founded and led by Andrew Forbes, who also headed the development of South Africa's national quantum technology roadmap. The company uses 'structured light'—laser light whose shape is precisely designed so that each beam can carry much more information than ordinary light and be controlled to perform a specific task. According to Wits Enterprise, this leads to two types of products. The first is physically secured communication systems, not mathematically secured: any attempt to intercept a message physically disrupts the light carrying it, leaving a trace that makes eavesdropping detectable. The second is a new class of cameras capable of seeing through obstacles invisible to a normal lens—living tissues, tinted glass, haze, and even opaque materials—by reconstructing the image based on particle light correlation. The University of the Witwatersrand also notes that this visualization work is integrated with AI, allowing the camera not just to capture an image but also to interpret it, which can be applied from non-invasive cancer detection to locating hidden weapons.
Besides spin-offs, Roberts did not name any established South African companies currently testing quantum applications, indicating that outside the security sphere, the industry is still in its infancy. The new UPQuST node will focus on quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum metrology—the science of ultra-precise measurements. UP researchers will study technologies that can detect crop diseases before they become visible, improve mineral exploration, enhance medical diagnostics, and strengthen cybercrime defense, including quantum-enhanced tools for deepfake detection and ransomware threat analysis.
Tjhart Kruger, head of this node, stated that quantum technologies are expected to transform industries over the next decade just as artificial intelligence is transforming society today. The node's ambition is to shape South Africa's potential in quantum computing, sensing, and metrology while developing technologies that solve real problems. The node will also fund postgraduate scholarships, postdoctoral grants, and training programs, including international cooperation related to CERN. For Kruger, the goal is for South Africa to 'become a creator of future technologies, not just a recipient of innovations developed elsewhere.' Based on available data, the country's quantum industry is still in its nascent stage, but the presence of the first product on the market and the attention from the financial sector mean it is no longer a purely academic undertaking.
