A $15 million agreement is signed by BTQ and ICTK to jointly develop a next-generation quantum-secure chip.
BTQ and ICTK
A $15 million development and cooperative investment agreement has been formally signed by BTQ Technologies Corp. and ICTK Co., Ltd. to jointly develop a critical new technology: the Quantum Compute in Memory (QCIM) chip. The goal of this partnership is to develop a next-generation quantum-secure secure-element chip that will protect critical industries from new quantum threats.
In order to secure defense, critical infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, payments, mobile authentication, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital assets, the strategic alliance aims to expedite the commercialization of this essential technology. Additionally, the project directly advances Korea’s Quantum Defense Strategy, which places a high priority on the quick integration of quantum-secure technologies into vital defense and infrastructure systems.
The two main components of the arrangement are a participation arrangement that deals with BTQ’s direct equity participation in ICTK and a Development Agreement that covers the joint design, validation, tape-outs, and certification of the QCIM chip. ICTK pledges to provide preferential production capacity and in-kind cost sharing in exchange. This collaborative effort demonstrates a strong commitment to developing a strong quantum ecosystem in Korea and around the world.
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Next-Generation Quantum Compute in Memory (QCIM)
The new QCIM chip proactively addresses the changing threat landscape offered by quantum computing, marking a substantial leap in hardware-level security. The main breakthrough is the direct integration of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and BTQ’s own CASH cryptographic acceleration into the silicon layer.
The QCIM chip is designed to offer end-to-end quantum-secure identity, signing, attestation, and secure storage for next-generation commercial and financial networks by integrating PQC at this fundamental level. By achieving crypto-agility, this creative design enables flexible cryptographic upgrades without interfering with current client workflows or systems. By doing this, the security solution is guaranteed to be future-proof and able to easily include new PQC algorithms as they are developed and standardized.
This arrangement puts quantum-safe security at the heart of the global silicon ecosystem, according to BTQ CEO Olivier Roussy Newton. “The partnership gives hardware makers a clear path to embed post-quantum protection at scale by combining ICTK’s secure-element expertise with BTQ’s QCIM platform, powered by CASH acceleration,” he said.
Setting New Benchmarks for Secure Hardware Performance
Comparing the QCIM chip to existing secure hardware systems, significant performance improvements are anticipated. Up to five times quicker Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) throughput than top secure hardware is one of the early performance goals.
The chip’s ability to handle roughly one million digital signatures per second for real-time authentication is essential for real-time applications. The design prioritizes energy efficiency, using less than 1 microjoule per cryptographic operation, even with this high output. According to these specs, QCIM is a strong security component for a variety of high-assurance use cases that is resource-conscious.
Secure cold and hardware wallets for digital assets, mobile authentication, financial security, Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints, payment gateways, and defense systems are among the QCIM’s target applications. In particular, the collaboration seeks to tackle the escalating cybersecurity risks affecting the stablecoin and digital asset markets.
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Partnership Accelerates Commercialization and Global Scale
In order to guarantee quick market penetration, this partnership makes use of both businesses’ advantages. ICTK offers its demonstrated secure element (SE) design and manufacturing skills, while BTQ contributes its PQC technology and intellectual property.
ICTK, the top secure element chip company and leading secure element provider in Korea, has committed to aligning its future secure element roadmap with the QCIM development by offering considerable resources, capacity for scale, and essential third-party validation. ICTK has a wide range of alliances in the banking and telecommunications industries, including close relationships with mobile network providers such as LG U+.
ICTK CEO Jungwon Lee said that by partnering with BTQ, they can natively include post-quantum security into their next-generation SE platform, guaranteeing that clients get the supply-chain scalability, certification, and performance they anticipate.
As evidenced by the recent collaboration between the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) to use quantum technology to weapon systems and secure communications, the program significantly supports Korean national endeavors.
By leveraging ICTK’s extensive sales channels and industry network, the firms plan to enter the worldwide market directly and achieve quick market penetration and widespread adoption. The partners are aggressively seeking mass production, thorough testing, and collaboration with international standards bodies like the ITU and ISO to attain quick certification across financial and telecommunications networks in order to accelerate adoption. Key clients that are assessing PQC-enabled secure chips for incorporation into future infrastructure and products are already participating in early engagements.
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