QUASAR CREATE Project
As quantum computing gains popularity, Singapore’s future infrastructure must consider digital system resilience and stability. Technical University of Munich (TUM) research division TUMCREATE, backed by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF), announced its historic leadership role in the three-and-a-half-year QUASAR-CREATE program to secure developing technologies against quantum risks.
High-profile global partnership QUASAR-CREATE provides quantum security and resilience for emerging technologies. NTU Singapore, FSR@NTU, TUMCREATE, TUM, and NUS all contribute experience. The purpose of this alliance is to develop new methods and technologies to secure and protect digital systems from quantum computing threats.
A New Frontier in Hardware Security
A step beyond traditional cybersecurity lies at the core of this study. QUASAR-CREATE focuses on incorporating resilience directly into the design of next-generation technology, as opposed to only using software fixes. The program makes ensuring that vital infrastructures are resilient, reliable, and flexible by incorporating quantum-safe security measures early in the development cycle.
Three coordinated research thrusts make up the program’s structure, which creates a thorough security pipeline. The goal of Thrust 1: Secure Hardware Platform, led by TUMCREATE, is to develop a hardware basis for post-quantum security that is open-source, verifiable, and quantum-safe.
This initiative, in collaboration with NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), is expected to provide the first 64-bit RISC-V processor implementation that is completely open-source and secure using post-quantum cryptography (PQC). As a fundamental component of future safe systems, this processor will incorporate quantum-resistant encryption and hardware-level security from the ground up.
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Why Hardware Matters in the Quantum Era
Professor Georg Sigl, Principal Investigator for QUASAR-CREATE at TUM, emphasized the need of hardware-based security. He emphasized that post-quantum security in devices with limited resources cannot be attained by software alone. “If we want digital systems to remain trustworthy in the era of quantum computing, security must be anchored directly in the hardware architecture,” Sigl said.
The project’s goal is to create a completely open-source chip design utilizing open-source technology, guaranteeing a transparent and verifiable basis for infrastructures to come. The creation of this chip at GlobalFoundries’ Singaporean production facilities utilizing its 180-nanometer process technology will be a major project milestone.
The research tackles long-term trust and transparency issues that software-only solutions are unable to resolve by including security at the design level. This includes defense against physical and side-channel attacks, which will worsen as quantum and other cutting-edge computing technologies advance. The computer stack will be protected by post-quantum cryptography accelerators, secure operating systems, and trusted execution environments.
Strengthening the Singapore Ecosystem
This project supports Singapore’s RIE2030 ambition to enhance semiconductor and quantum-enabled technologies. Complex chip security is now a “foundational design consideration,” says TUMCREATE CEO and QUASAR-CREATE Principal Investigator Professor Ulf Schlichtmann. He stressed that the program helps develop secure, reliable semiconductor technologies for the future by merging Singaporean and German knowledge.
There are potential real-world applications for the research. Use cases like FIDO2 authentication tokens will be used to validate the platform and show its practical applicability. The research will be extended in the future to investigate compatibility with quantum key distribution (QKD) methods.
The project’s Principal Investigator, NTU Professor Gwee Bah Hwee of the School of EEE, emphasized the value of proactive research. “As quantum innovations move toward real-world deployments, ensuring trust and safety will be crucial for their adoption,” stated. He said the project helps Singapore use emerging technology responsibly by proactively addressing these issues.
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Long-term Collaboration and Innovation
TUMCREATE’s leadership in the safe hardware movement further solidifies its microelectronics research partnership with NTU. Beyond research, this collaboration fosters educational connections and cooperative application-driven innovation. Additionally, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation-funded QUASAR professorship at NTU is accessible through the program.
By integrating this cutting-edge research into Singapore’s ecosystem, TUMCREATE is assisting in the conversion of cutting-edge science into workable, future-ready solutions. This guarantees that trust and security will be the cornerstones of the digital infrastructures of the quantum era.
About the Partners
- TUMCREATE: Founded in 2010, TUMCREATE is an interdisciplinary research platform that fosters TUM-top international organization collaboration to sustainably change communities.
- NTU Singapore: This research-focused public university has 35,000 students and internationally renowned institutions in digital technology and sustainability.
- QUASAR-CREATE: An NRF-supported global quantum security program involving TUM, Fraunhofer, NTU, and NUS.
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