TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In order to welcome the next digital era and security challenges associated with quantum computing, guests from industry, government, and academia gathered on Tuesday (Aug. 1) for the opening of the Quantum Safe Migration Center (QSMC) initiated by Chelpis Quantum Tech, the first of its kind in Taiwan and Asia.
Chelpis Quantum Tech Founder Ming Chi (池明洋) said the company is dedicated to post-quantum security and solving client-related security issues. To strengthen the resilience of Taiwan’s information security, the Quantum Safe Migration Center will serve as a bridge connecting government, industry, academic institutions, and international researchers.
Chi expects Taiwan, like other European countries and the U.S., will soon issue a blueprint for post-quantum security, incorporating it into a national security plan.
Quantum Safe Migration Center Director Matthias J. Kannwischer studied quantum cryptography for many years, and it was also his doctoral dissertation subject. Over the years, he has thought about combining academia and industry to effectively apply post-quantum cryptography to various fields.
Kannwischer is excited to see academic research being applied to real-world situations, attracting the attention of companies and government agencies. The center is the first such institution in Taiwan and Asia to offer an encryption system that can repel quantum computer attacks.
Director of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at National Sun Yat-sen University, Dr. Fan Chun-i (范俊逸), said Taiwan has many ways to attract the attention of foreign companies for its strengths in semiconductors and IT hardware, creating an ecosystem that integrates precision cybersecurity, low carbon information security, and information security native into a platform.
Fan said Taiwan’s post-quantum cryptography sector is segmented as everyone is doing independent work. If the government can form a “post-quantum national team,” it could integrate the country’s resources and create talent pipelines to achieve advancements in cybersecurity.
National Chengchi University’s Computer Science Department professor Raylin Tso (左瑞麟) said that the Quantum Safe Migration Center can help Taiwan migrate toward post-quantum security, serving as a platform that integrates resources, expertise, and technologies from various universities, allowing everyone to exist on equal footing. Tso said the school expects to have long-term cooperation with the center.
Academia Sinica Institute of Information Science research fellow Yang Bo-yin (楊柏因) said Taiwan should provide incentives and attractive salaries to lure highly skilled talent. He said this expense is difficult for the private sector to cover, so the public sector should take the lead.
Yang said that compared with the R&D investment in biomedicine, biochemistry, and pharmaceuticals, the relevant expenditure on post-quantum cryptography is more cost-effective. And although the benefits cannot be seen immediately, it is a necessary investment.
Academia Sinica Research Center for Information Technology Innovation assistant research fellow Tung Chou (周彤) said government agencies and companies should sort out which data will remain critical as time goes by, say 20 years from now, and transition it to a new encryption system first. Without being protected by the post-quantum technology, this data would become vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The center has the backing of notable organizations or interest groups dedicated to fortifying information security, including the Digital Taiwan Roundtable (DTR), the Institute for Information Industry (III), and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) among others.
Quantum Safe Migration Center partners include Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Sun Yat-Sen University, as well as other academic institutions. In order for Taiwan to transition as soon as possible to a post-quantum cryptography system, the center is also cooperating with several information security experts, accessing their years of experience, relevant insights on quantum security and post-quantum cryptography, and lessons learned through industry-university cooperation.
The center plans on publishing at least one article every quarter, as well as books or guidelines. In the future, the center will set up various working groups to invite foreign scholars and experts to collaborate with their peers in Taiwan through various activities.
Chelpis Quantum Tech Founder Ming Chi (far left) and top managers of the Institute for Information Industry pose with a signed collaboration agreement on August 1, 2023. (Taiwan News Jennifer Lin photo)
(Taiwan News Jennifer Lin photo)
(Taiwan News Jennifer Lin photo)
(Taiwan News Jennifer Lin photo)
