Insider Brief
- BTQ Technologies has acquired Radical Semiconductor’s entire portfolio, including its CASH cryptographic accelerator architecture.
- The acquisition enhances BTQ’s capabilities to provide quantum-secure solutions across industries like IoT, financial services, and government.
- Radical’s CASH architecture, designed for efficient post-quantum algorithms, complements BTQ’s own Preon algorithm.
PRESS RELEASE — BTQ Technologies Corp., a global quantum technology company focused on securing mission-critical networks, is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of Radical Semiconductor Inc.’s (“Radical”) entire portfolio of technology assets. The acquisition includes all of Radical’s intellectual property and extensive patent portfolio, hardware design assets, and software associated with its cutting-edge CASH cryptographic accelerator architecture. This strengthens BTQ’s cryptographic capabilities, positioning the company as a global leader in post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and secure communications technologies.
Executive Comments
“This acquisition marks a significant milestone for BTQ in our pursuit of developing quantum-secure communications and cryptographic solutions,” said Nicolas Roussy Newton, COO of BTQ Technologies. “Radical’s revolutionary CASH architecture will accelerate our roadmap and enhance our ability to serve industries preparing for the quantum era. By integrating Radical’s expertise, we are now equipped to offer unparalleled cryptographic solutions that will safeguard critical infrastructure in the post-quantum world. We are thrilled to welcome Radical’s technology and expertise into the BTQ fold.”
“We are excited to work with one of the most innovative companies in quantum-secure cryptography,” says Sean Hackett, CEO of Radical Semiconductor. “We designed the CASH architecture to make billions of chips secure against quantum computers, and BTQ has the reach to provide these foundational protections at scale.”
Radical Semiconductor’s Innovation in Post-Quantum Cryptography
Radical was founded by Stanford graduates Sean Hackett, Zach Belateche, and Katie Watson. Radical’s CASH architecture is one the industry’s most compact, efficient accelerators for post-quantum algorithms, such as Kyber and Dilithium, with a small enough footprint to bring these innovative cryptographic solutions to smart cards, IoT devices, mobile and other applications. The architecture’s processing-in-memory technology supports massive parallel computations while maintaining strong side-channel security at minimal cost. This solution comes at a time where the increased computational demands of PQC algorithms, compared with those of current public-key cryptography algorithms, make the PQC migration very complex and costly. This challenge is especially difficult in industries in which industrial control system networks are geographically dispersed and networks require secure, real-time, low-latency monitoring and control of devices. Radical’s CASH architecture is uniquely positioned to address these challenges.
Advancing Quantum-Secure Solutions
The integration of Radical’s cutting-edge technology will enhance BTQ’s quantum-secure communications infrastructure and provide substantial growth opportunities in emerging markets such as IoT, financial services, blockchain, and government sectors. Radical’s CASH architecture, which supports a wide range of cryptographic primitives, will strengthen BTQ’s offerings and expand its capabilities in delivering scalable and efficient quantum-secure solutions. By leveraging Radical’s technology, BTQ is poised to address the increasing demand for robust security solutions across these sectors.
Global Cryptography Standards Moving to Post-Quantum
BTQ is committed to leading advancements in cryptography and is prepared to leverage Radical’s technology alongside its own quantum signature algorithm, Preon to meet the evolving global standards for post-quantum cryptography. Preon, a quantum-secure signature algorithm developed by BTQ, was selected in the most recent round of the PQC standardization process by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
In August, NIST finalized its first set of encryption algorithms designed to withstand cyberattacks from quantum computers. These algorithms, now part of the initial standards from NIST’s post-quantum cryptography project, are ready for immediate implementation. With quantum computing technology advancing rapidly, some experts predict that a device capable of breaking current encryption methods could emerge within a decade, posing serious threats to the security and privacy of individuals, organizations, and even entire nations.
