Quantum Communication Networks for Secure Foundation Model Distribution Across Shanxi Power Grid Substations

Authors

  • Jiwu Liu State Grid Shanxi Economic and Technological Research Institute
  • Kai Xue State Grid Shanxi Economic and Technological Research Institute
  • Yachen Wang State Grid Shanxi Economic and Technological Research Institute
  • Chunguang Ren State Grid Shanxi Economic and Technological Research Institute
  • Xiaojian Zhang State Grid Shanxi Economic and Technological Research Institute
  • Kai Han State Grid Shanxi Economic and Technological Research Institute

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4108/eetsis.12041

Keywords:

Quantum Communication Networks, Foundation Model Security, Power Grid Cybersecurity, Encrypted Transmission Protocols, Quantum Key Distribution

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Foundation models deployed in power grid infrastructure face escalating security threats from advancing quantum computing capabilities, which can compromise classical encryption protecting multi-gigabyte model parameters during distributed transmission and storage across geographically dispersed substations. OBJECTIVES: This research develops and validates a quantum-secured communication framework integrating quantum key distribution with hierarchical encryption mechanisms specifically designed for protecting foundation model parameters in operational power grid environments. METHODS: A dual-channel quantum communication architecture was deployed across five substations in Shanxi Province spanning 580 kilometers, implementing BB84 protocol with decoy state techniques for quantum key generation, dynamic key-data mapping algorithms for parameter encryption, and Ceph-based distributed storage with blockchain audit trails. The system underwent 30-day continuous operational validation protecting a 500-million-parameter Transformer model under real-world conditions including temperature variations (-5°C to 35°C), grid maintenance events, and concurrent SCADA traffic. RESULTS: The framework achieved 99.2% system availability with distance-dependent quantum key distribution rates ranging from 4.5 kbps (50 km) to 0.5 kbps (180 km), quantum bit error rates maintained between 3.2-11.4% within operational thresholds, hierarchical AES encryption throughput of 85 MB/s for model parameters, and storage system performance delivering 8,500-10,800 read IOPS with 1.05 ms average latency. CONCLUSION: This work validates the practical viability of quantum communication networks for securing distributed foundation models in critical power infrastructure, demonstrating information-theoretic security under operational network conditions while establishing integration protocols between quantum key distribution channels and encrypted data transmission pathways for large-scale AI model protection.

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Published

16-03-2026

How to Cite

1.
Liu J, Xue K, Wang Y, Ren C, Zhang X, Han K. Quantum Communication Networks for Secure Foundation Model Distribution Across Shanxi Power Grid Substations. EAI Endorsed Scal Inf Syst [Internet]. 2026 Mar. 16 [cited 2026 Mar. 18];12(8). Available from: https://publications.eai.eu/index.php/sis/article/view/12041