From Firmware to Cloud: Building PQC-consistent Security Architectures
As quantum computing advances faster than expected, the shift to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) has become urgent. The CNSA 2.0 roadmap already calls for PQC-ready signatures in firmware and software, with full transition targeted by 2030. But adopting PQC is not just a matter of upgrading algorithms—it requires a consistent, end-to-end approach to security.
Understanding PQC and Why It Matters Now
PQC refers to cryptographic algorithms designed to withstand attacks from future quantum computers. Once large-scale quantum systems emerge, today’s widely used RSA and ECC will be breakable, putting firmware integrity, secure updates, and long-term confidentiality at risk.
The threat is not theoretical: attackers may already be collecting encrypted data to decrypt later (harvest-now-decrypt-later). This is why governments and industries are accelerating the PQC transition, with NIST-standardized algorithms such as ML-KEM, ML-DSA, LMS, XMSS, FN-DSA, SLH-DSA leading the way.
“Quantum-safe security must start now”
Designing Security with PQC Consistency in Mind
Our integration experiments show that inconsistent use of classical and PQC algorithms can create hidden vulnerabilities. To prevent this, PQC readiness must start at the architectural level.
Key design principles include:
- Quantum-safe or hybrid Roots of Trust for secure boot and signature verification.
- Provisioning flows capable of generating, injecting, and managing PQC credentials.
- Hybrid architectures allowing classical and PQC algorithms to coexist during the transition.
- Hardware and IP support through secure elements (iSE) and Crypto Solutions equipped for PQC workloads.
By incorporating PQC at the design phase, the entire system inherits quantum-resilient properties.
Securing the Full Product Life Cycle
True quantum resilience requires consistency from the first boot image to the final decommissioning step. Every security operation must follow the same PQC-aligned logic:
- Manufacturing & provisioning: PQC-based identities and attestation.
- In-field operation: secure channels, updates, authentication services, and cloud interactions using PQC or hybrid schemes.
- Maintenance & fleet management: cloud backends verifying and signing data with PQC-compliant algorithms.
- End-of-life: proper retirement of PQC credentials to prevent post-use exploitation.
A single non-PQC link in the chain can break security, quantum attackers only need one weakness.
Download our Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) White Paper
Towards Future-Proof, Chip-to-Cloud Security
Quantum-safe security is not a one-off upgrade: it is a long-term architectural commitment. By embracing PQC consistency, companies can ensure:
- resilience against future quantum attacks,
- alignment with NIST and CMVP guidelines,
- smooth transition through hybridization and backward compatibility,
- and trustworthy security from chip to cloud.
Secure-IC, a Cadence Company, is actively supporting this journey with PQC-ready secure elements (iSE), Crypto Solutions, and lifecycle management tools designed to help partners build systems meant to last through the quantum era.
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