  Inspired by recent developments in the control and manipulation of quantum
dot nuclear spins, which allow for the transfer of an electron spin state to
the surrounding nuclear-spin ensemble for storage, we propose a quantum
repeater scheme that combines individual quantum dot electron spins and
nuclear-spin ensembles, which serve as spin-photon interfaces and quantum
memories respectively. We consider the use of low-strain quantum dots embedded
in high-cooperativity optical microcavities. Quantum dot nuclear-spin ensembles
allow for the long-term storage of entangled states, and heralded entanglement
swapping is performed using cavity-assisted gates. We highlight the advances in
quantum dot technologies required to realize our quantum repeater scheme which
promises the establishment of high-fidelity entanglement over long distances
with a distribution rate exceeding that of the direct transmission of photons.
