South Korea's ICTK and BTQ Complete Design of QCIM+PUF Security Chip

en.Wedoany.com Reported - BTQ Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: BTQ; Cboe CA: BTQ) and South Korean security component chip company ICTK Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ: 456010) have completed the design of a next-generation QCIM + PUF security chip for the quantum era. This chip integrates BTQ's internally developed Quantum Computing in Memory (QCIM) security intellectual property with ICTK's VIA PUF™ technology, aiming to achieve 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 as a compact, low-power module that supports both classical and post-quantum cryptographic functions. By executing cryptographic operations within the memory subsystem, this architecture aims to reduce latency, power consumption, and data movement, while supporting cryptographic agility across a range of chip architectures and connected devices. The next-generation QCIM quantum-safe chip is being developed for applications in IoT, AI devices, industrial systems, security components, edge devices, and other connected infrastructure, where demand for device authentication, security performance, and long-term cryptographic resilience is growing.

PUF, or Physical Unclonable Function technology, enables chips to generate unique hardware-derived identities based on microscopic manufacturing variations. By integrating ICTK's VIA PUF™ technology, BTQ's next-generation chip aims to combine cryptographic agility with device-level authentication, helping to determine whether a device is authentic, trusted, and suitable for use in high-assurance networks. This milestone builds on the existing collaboration between BTQ and ICTK. The two companies first signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2025 to explore quantum-safe hardware solutions combining BTQ's post-quantum cryptography expertise with ICTK's security chip, PUF, and hardware-level security capabilities. In October 2025, they expanded their partnership through a $15 million development and joint investment agreement to jointly develop QCIM, with a roadmap covering co-design, verification, tape-out, certification, productization, and potential mass production.

ICTK has established partnerships in the telecommunications and financial services sectors, including collaborations with major mobile network operators such as LG U+, reinforcing the relevance of PUF-based hardware roots of trust in regulated finance, high-assurance communications, IoT, industrial systems, and critical infrastructure. This collaboration supports BTQ's expansion in the South Korean quantum-safe market and aligns with the company's broader strategy to commercialize its quantum-safe infrastructure stack in markets where trusted hardware, secure identity, and cryptographic agility are increasingly important. The company's CEO and Chairman, Olivier Roussy Newton, stated that recent U.S. executive orders on accelerating quantum innovation and post-quantum cybersecurity highlight that trusted quantum infrastructure is becoming a national priority, and believes the company's QCIM and PUF platforms can support this transformation by providing hardware root of trust, secure device identity, and cryptographic agility for critical infrastructure, connected devices, AI systems, and industrial networks. Completing the design of the next-generation QCIM quantum-safe chip is a key step in bringing BTQ's security IP into deployable semiconductor infrastructure.

BTQ expects to send test chips to key customers and strategic partners by the end of the year for performance and functional verification. These test chips are designed to support the company's path toward mass production readiness and global market entry.