Insider Brief
- BTQ Technologies and ICTK have completed the design of a next-generation QCIM security chip combining post-quantum cryptography capabilities with PUF-based hardware authentication.
- The chip is designed to provide secure device identity, cryptographic acceleration, and quantum-resistant security features for connected devices, AI systems, and critical infrastructure.
- The companies are preparing for production validation after expanding their collaboration on quantum-secure semiconductor technologies.
Press release – BTQ Technologies Corp. (“BTQ“ or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BTQ) (CBOE CA: BTQ), a global quantum technology company focused on securing mission-critical networks, today announced that it has completed the design of its next-generation QCIM + PUF security chip for the quantum era in collaboration with ICTK Co., Ltd. (“ICTK”) (KOSDAQ: 456010), a leading Korean secure element chip company and developer of VIA PUF™ technology. The chip combines BTQ’s in-house Quantum Compute-in-Memory (“QCIM“) security intellectual property with ICTK’s VIA PUF™ technology, creating a hardware-rooted security platform designed to support unique device authentication, cryptographic acceleration, and trusted device identity at the silicon level. Production preparation is now underway.
QCIM is BTQ‘s soft IP cryptographic accelerator architecture designed to support both classical and post-quantum cryptographic functions in a compact, low-power block. By executing cryptographic operations inside the memory subsystem, QCIM is designed to reduce latency, power consumption, and data movement while supporting crypto-agile security across a range of chip architectures and connected devices.
The next-generation QCIM quantum-security chip is being developed for use across IoT, AI devices, industrial systems, secure elements, edge devices, and other connected infrastructure where device authentication, security performance, and long-term cryptographic resilience are becoming increasingly important.
PUF, or Physically Unclonable Function, technology enables chips to generate unique hardware-derived identities based on microscopic manufacturing variations. Through the integration of ICTK’s VIA PUF™ technology, BTQ‘s next-generation chip is designed to combine cryptographic agility with device-level authentication, helping establish whether a device is authentic, trusted, and suitable for use within high-assurance networks.
This milestone builds on BTQ‘s existing collaboration with ICTK. BTQ and ICTK first signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2025 to explore quantum-secure hardware solutions combining BTQ’s post-quantum cryptography expertise with ICTK’s secure-chip, PUF, and hardware-level security capabilities. In October 2025, the companies expanded that relationship through a US$15 million development and joint investment agreement to co-develop QCIM, with a roadmap spanning joint design, validation, tape-outs, certification, productization, and potential mass production.
ICTK has established partnerships across telecommunications and financial services, including relationships with major mobile network operators such as LG U+, reinforcing the relevance of PUF-based hardware roots of trust for regulated finance, high-assurance communications, IoT, industrial systems, and critical infrastructure. The collaboration supports BTQ‘s expansion in Korea’s quantum security market and aligns with the Company’s broader strategy to commercialize its quantum-secure infrastructure stack across markets where trusted hardware, secure identity, and cryptographic agility are becoming essential.
“The recent U.S. Executive Orders accelerating quantum innovation and post-quantum cybersecurity highlight that trusted quantum infrastructure is rapidly becoming a national priority,” said Olivier Roussy Newton, CEO and Chairman of BTQ. “We believe our QCIM and PUF platform is well-positioned to support this transition by enabling hardware-rooted trust, secure device identity, and cryptographic agility for critical infrastructure, connected devices, AI systems, and industrial networks. Completing the design of our next-generation QCIM quantum-security chip is an important step toward bringing BTQ’s security IP into deployable semiconductor infrastructure for the quantum era.”
The announcement follows recent U.S. Executive Orders focused on accelerating quantum innovation and securing the nation against advanced cryptographic attacks. These actions call for faster adoption of post-quantum cryptography across federal systems, support for critical infrastructure migration, and continued advancement of a trusted quantum ecosystem spanning research, manufacturing, commercialization, and deployment.
BTQ expects to ship test chips to key customers and strategic partners by year-end for performance and functional validation. These test chips are intended to support the Company’s path toward mass production readiness and global market entry.
With its QCIM and PUF-based platform, developed alongside ICTK’s secure element and VIA PUF™ capabilities, BTQ is positioning itself to address the emerging market for quantum-era security semiconductors, helping build the trusted infrastructure required for connected devices, critical networks, and next-generation computing systems.
