Smaller Than a Fingernail... LGU+ Develops Quantum Security Chip for IoT Devices

Developed in Collaboration with ICTK Holdings, EYL, and LG CNS
Commercialization Scheduled for First Half of Next Year... Applied to Drones and CCTV Systems

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] LG Uplus has succeeded in developing a quantum security chip for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

On the 27th, LG Uplus announced that it had succeeded in developing a quantum security chip for IoT terminals in collaboration with ICTK Holdings, a security system-on-chip (SoC) development company, information security startup EYL, and LG CNS.

Quantum security is a technology that generates pure random numbers that are unpredictable and patternless to prevent duplication and prediction of encryption keys. Compared to the existing security technology used in IoT devices, the 'pure random number generator,' it offers higher randomness in encryption, making it safer from hacking threats.

The quantum security chips from the three companies combine the quantum random number generator (QRNG) with the security chip, allowing data exchange within a single chip. Unlike the past, where separate chips communicated externally, this integration significantly reduces the possibility of information theft, preventing privacy invasion and data leakage.

A comparison of the ultra-small quantum security chip for IIoT terminals developed by LG Uplus, ICTK Holdings, EYL, and LG CNS with the size of a 100-won coin.

By integrating the two functions into one chip, the size has been reduced to half that of existing chips. The chip measures 3mm by 3mm, smaller than a fingernail. It is expected to be useful for small IoT devices. The three companies anticipate that the quantum security chip can be applied to IoT devices currently in use by the first half of next year.

The quantum security chip was created by organically combining the technologies of the three companies. EYL developed the approximately 3mm-sized QRNG, ICTK Holdings applied its security chip (PUF) to create a single quantum security chip. LG Uplus and LG CNS designed and developed the software tools to use this chip in IoT devices. The quantum security chip provides functions such as securely storing IoT device data, verifying firmware integrity, and 'secure boot' to verify attacks when powering on the device.

Jeon Youngseo, Head of Enterprise Service Development at LG Uplus, said, "As a leader in the IoT market, we focused on developing this technology to prevent customer privacy invasion and information leakage," adding, "We will strive to apply it as soon as possible to security-sensitive areas such as autonomous vehicles, drones, and enterprise/home CCTV."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.