TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chelpis Quantum Corp., a Taiwanese post-quantum cryptography firm, is collaborating with Professor Peter Schwabe, Scientific Director at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy, to strengthen its quantum-safe solutions.
Chelpis CEO Chih Ming-yang (池明洋) aims to transform Taiwan into a cryptography hub and lead the country's migration to quantum-safe cryptography.
“Cryptography, my main focus, is where quantum computers will have the greatest impact within the field of information security,” Schwabe told Taiwan News.
Though quantum technology is still in development, experts predict it will eventually solve problems far faster than today’s supercomputers. Schwabe highlighted the need to prepare for quantum advancements to counter threats like “harvest now, decrypt later,” where data encrypted and stored today could be vulnerable to future quantum attacks.
“It’s crucial to secure information now that must remain private for decades,” he said, stressing the urgency of adopting quantum-resistant cryptography. Schwabe warned that quantum computers could render many current systems insecure.
Schwabe agreed with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) that quantum computers capable of breaking current encryption are still years away, but underlined the urgency of developing and implementing post-quantum cryptography.
While acknowledging the difficulty in predicting exactly when such quantum computers will exist, Schwabe suggested a key indicator would be the first successful attack on public key cryptography, likely targeting elliptic curve cryptography, the basis of many modern systems.
Schwabe believes the development of quantum computers is inevitable due to their potential benefits in many fields, though he doubts they will become as commonplace as personal devices like desktop computers or laptops. Instead, he envisions specialized, remotely accessed quantum workstations used for complex computations.
Post-quantum cryptography adoption
Quantum-resistant algorithms are being implemented despite quantum computers still being under development. The key agreement algorithm, Kyber (ML-KEM) is widely used, Schwabe said.
Other products using it include Apple iMessage. The reason for this implementation is to protect against a potential future scenario where an attacker records encrypted messages today and decrypts them years later using a quantum computer.
Schwabe stressed the importance of preparing for the cryptographic fallout, highlighting the "harvest now, decrypt later" threat. He also noted the lengthy process of migrating all applications to post-quantum cryptography, making early preparation crucial.
Schwabe stated that while some migrations are happening now and others will occur relatively quickly, a significant number of applications will take a very long time to transition. He suggested preparations should have begun earlier.
Schwabe considers migration to post-quantum cryptography complete when systems no longer regularly use exclusively classical cryptography.
This includes securing against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks and potentially implementing post-quantum authentication. Major web communication platforms, such as the top 100 websites, and browsers have already begun migrating, Schwabe noted.
Focus on high-assurance cryptography
Schwabe also focuses on high-assurance cryptography, ensuring cryptographic systems are rigorously verified for security. He is currently collaborating with Chelpis on research related to “Formosa Crypto,” a project involving researchers from more than 10 institutions.
The initiative aims to develop tools for high-assurance cryptography, including the Jasmin programming language and the EasyCrypt theorem prover. These tools enable formal reasoning for computer-verified cryptographic proofs.
The collaboration with Chelpis currently focuses on high-assurance FrodoKEM, a post-quantum cryptographic scheme. Schwabe said the team is building on prior work within Formosa Crypto on schemes like ML-KEM, leveraging similarities to improve and reuse existing methods.
Taiwan's role in post-quantum cryptography
Schwabe believes Taiwan is uniquely positioned to drive advancements in post-quantum cryptography. The country has already made considerable progress in designing secure cryptographic systems, implementing them in both software and hardware, and conducting formal verification.
As a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, Taiwan also plays a critical role in developing hardware solutions for quantum-resistant cryptography. “Dedicated hardware will be crucial, especially for embedded applications that require both efficiency and security,” Schwabe noted.
Schwabe also stressed the importance of defending against implementation attacks, where attackers use side-channel data such as power consumption or electromagnetic radiation to uncover secret keys. Taiwanese researchers are already addressing these vulnerabilities with hardware solutions, a field Schwabe anticipates will see significant growth in the next decade.
“With its expertise in cryptography, chip design, and formal verification, Taiwan is well-positioned to lead in securing the next generation of cryptographic systems,” Schwabe concluded.
Schwabe's organization, encouraged by its work with Chelpis, is exploring a long-term collaboration with Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council to advance research and development in post-quantum cryptography.