(AOF) – Exail Technologies participates in the QKISS (Quantum Key Industrial SystemS) project aimed at developing European quantum key distribution systems (QKD) that are efficient, secure and certifiable within 2 to 3 years. Funded by the European Commission, as part of the Digital Europe programme, it started in January 2023. It brings together two high-tech industrial groups, Exail and Thales, and two leading university teams from the University of Paris-Saclay and from Sorbonne University.
Led by Exail, this project will include the manufacture of opto-electronic components, the development of specialized signal processing and coding algorithms, and will go as far as full system integration and field demonstration.
QKISS will also demonstrate compatibility with current telecommunications network systems. The QKD systems will work with Thales Mistral encryptors, a turnkey network encryption system including centralized management software, adapted to the specific QKD framework.
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Negotiations with builders
On average, equipment manufacturers represent between 60 and 85% of the manufacturing cost of a vehicle. According to the Federation of Vehicle Equipment Industries (Fiev), negotiations are very tense with manufacturers regarding the passing on of increased costs. The price increases concern both electronic components, raw materials, such as steel, nickel, lithium or palladium, energy and transport. Equipment manufacturers mainly negotiate with Stellantis and Renault to set up indices to pass on increases. They are also betting on innovation, differentiation, upgrading and internationalization.
Growing market and price pressures
According to the SIA, global chip sales were $151.7 billion in the first quarter of 2022, up 23% year-on-year. Sales increased in all major regional markets and for all product categories. As global uncertainties, including the war in Ukraine and the health crisis, weigh on supply chains, demand for semiconductors continues to significantly outpace supply. Manufacturers Samsung and TSMC have announced that they will raise their prices, in a context where players in the sector have good leeway and benefit from increased bargaining power. However, wage increases and component prices could weigh on future performance.
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German autonomy not so simple
China has been Germany’s leading economic partner for six years. However, across the Rhine, companies are called upon to reduce their heavy dependence on the Asian giant due to a rise in geopolitical tensions with the country. In this context, the powerful VDMA points out the importance of the Chinese market and the danger that a too sudden termination of ties with China would represent. The country is, in fact, the second export market and the first investment destination for German mechanical and industrial engineering. The federation nevertheless recognizes the need to diversify the trading partners of the German economy.