The University of Pretoria last week became the newest node in the South African Quantum Technology Initiative (SA QuTI), launching UP Quantum Science and Technology – UPQuST – as one of six nationally funded quantum research hubs. The university said the node, backed by the department of science, technology & innovation (DSTI) over the next five years, will help “translate advanced research into practical solutions for society and industry”.
That promise raises an obvious question: four years into South Africa’s national quantum push, is industry actually engaging, or does this remain an academic exercise?
The answer, according to SA QuTI project manager Jodie Robbertse, is that it is starting to move beyond the lab – with one spin-out company now selling its first product.
SA QuTI was established in 2022 with DSTI funding and a mandate “to grow a quantum technology industry in South Africa”, Robbertse told TechCentral. The initiative entered its second phase in April 2025, backed by R142-million in DSTI funding over five years.
It spans all three pillars of quantum technology – quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum metrology, sensing and imaging – and there is no set number of nodes: institutions must meet specific requirements to join, and UP is the newest addition rather than the last. The other nodes are hosted at Wits University, Stellenbosch University, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Zululand and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
“SA QuTI is working towards technology demonstrators, which are at various stages of development,” said Robbertse. “The applications of these technologies are broad, ranging from optimisation and logistics to healthcare and security.”
What the network has produced
Asked what the network has delivered, Robbertse pointed to a string of research milestones. “Our highlights include an intelligent quantum camera that blends AI and quantum for a 30x-speed-enhanced system, the longest secure communications link (about 13 000km) from South Africa to China, the world record for teleporting quantum states, new discoveries on how to make quantum information resilient and machine learning advances run on quantum computers,” she said.
The South Africa-China link, achieved between Beijing and Stellenbosch University in October 2024, spanned 12 900km – the longest intercontinental quantum communication link established to date and the first quantum satellite link in the southern hemisphere. The work on making quantum information resilient refers to a Wits breakthrough published in late 2025, in which researchers engineered quantum states with topological properties that preserve information even when the fragile “entanglement” between particles starts to break down – one of the central obstacles to practical quantum computers and networks.
These are still demonstrations rather than products for sale. But commercial activity is starting to appear around the network, and industry interest is narrowing on one theme above all: security.
“From an industry perspective, the interest and engagement are centred on post-quantum security, so quantum computing is the main topic of interest and there has been increased engagement with the financial and cybersecurity sectors,” said Robbertse.
That echoes warnings from local researchers that South Africa needs a national “quantum defence strategy” to prepare for “Q-Day” – the day quantum computers become powerful enough to break the encryption that protects banks, telecommunications networks and critical infrastructure.
The clearest sign of commercialisation comes from the network’s spin-out companies. “The nodes also have spin-out companies at various levels, with Button Optics having their first quantum-inspired toolkit ready for sale,” said Robbertse.
Button Optics was born inside the Structured Light Laboratory at Wits, founded and led by Andrew Forbes, who also led the development of South Africa’s national quantum road map. The company works with “structured light” – laser light whose shape is precisely engineered so that each beam can carry far more information than ordinary light, and be manipulated for a specific job.
In practice, according to Wits Enterprise, that translates into two kinds of product. The first is communication systems that are secure because of physics rather than maths: any attempt to intercept a message physically disturbs the light carrying it, leaving a trace, so eavesdropping is detectable. The second is a new class of camera that can see through obstacles that defeat a normal lens – living tissue, tinted glass, haze and even opaque materials – by reconstructing an image from the way light particles are correlated. Wits says the same imaging work is being paired with AI so a camera can not only capture an image but interpret it, with possible uses ranging from non-invasive cancer detection to spotting concealed weapons.
Pretoria’s contribution
Beyond the spin-outs, though, Robbertse did not name a single established South African company currently piloting quantum applications – a sign that, outside the security conversation, industry is still only dipping a toe in the water.
The new UPQuST node will focus on quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum metrology – the science of ultra-precise measurement. UP researchers will explore technologies that could detect crop diseases before they become visible, improve mineral exploration, sharpen medical diagnostics and strengthen defences against cybercrime, including quantum-enhanced tools for detecting deepfakes and analysing ransomware threats.
“Quantum technologies are expected to transform industries over the next decade in much the same way that artificial intelligence is transforming society today,” said Tjaart Krüger, who leads the node. “Our ambition is to build South African capability in quantum computing, sensing and metrology while developing technologies that solve real-world challenges.”
The node will also fund postgraduate bursaries, postdoctoral fellowships and training programmes, with international collaborations including research connected to Cern.
For Krüger, the aim is to ensure South Africa “becomes a creator of future technologies rather than simply adopting innovations developed elsewhere”. On the evidence so far, the country’s quantum industry is still in its infancy – but with a first product on sale and the financial sector starting to pay attention, it is no longer a purely academic pursuit. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
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