QUASAR Archives - TUM Create - A research platform for Singapore

TUMCREATE Advances Open-Source Quantum-Safe Hardware Research

TUMCREATE Advances World’s First Open-Source Quantum-Safe Hardware Research

Singapore, 12 March 2026 – As quantum technologies continue to advance, the resilience and trustworthiness of digital systems have emerged as critical priorities for Singapore’s future infrastructure. Addressing these challenges, TUMCREATE – the research arm of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) funded by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) – is playing a key role in QUASAR-CREATE (Quantum Security and Resilience for Emerging Technologies), a three-and-a-half-year research programme. The QUASAR-CREATE research programme brings together an international consortium comprising Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Fraunhofer@NTU (FSR@NTU), TUMCREATE, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the National University of Singapore (NUS). The programme aims to develop new methods and technologies that strengthen the security and resilience of emerging digital systems in the face of future quantum-enabled threats. “Under the recently launched Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030) plan, Singapore is strengthening its capabilities in semiconductor and quantum-enabled technologies. The security of complex chips and electronic systems becomes a foundational design consideration,” said Professor Ulf Schlichtmann, CEO at TUMCREATE and Principal Investigator of the QUASAR-CREATE project. “QUASAR-CREATE contributes to this effort by advancing research on how security and resilience can be embedded at the hardware and system-design level. By bringing together complementary expertise from Singapore and Germany, the programme supports the development of secure, trustworthy chip technologies that are essential for the future.” Building Resilient Digital Foundations for the Quantum Era QUASAR focuses on moving beyond conventional cybersecurity approaches by embedding resilience directly into the design of next-generation technologies. By integrating quantum-safe security mechanisms early in the development of digital systems, the programme seeks to ensure that critical infrastructures remain robust, trustworthy, and adaptable amid increasing uncertainty. The research programme is organised into three coordinated thrusts, forming a complete security pipeline. Within this framework, TUMCREATE leads Thrust 1: Secure Hardware Platform, spearheading research into an open-source, verifiable, and quantum-safe hardware foundation for post-quantum security. TUMCREATE Leads Secure Hardware Platform Research Together with NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), Thrust 1 focuses on the development of an open and verifiable, quantum-safe RISC-V processor platform, envisioned as a foundational building block for future secure systems. The research is positioned to deliver the world’s first fully open-source post-quantum cryptography (PQC)-secure 64-bit RISC-V processor implementation, integrating hardware-level protection and quantum-resistant cryptography from the ground up. Professor Georg Sigl, Principal Investigator at TUM for QUASAR-CREATE, emphasises: “Post-quantum security in resource constraint devices cannot be achieved 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. With QUASAR-CREATE, we are integrating quantum-resistant cryptography into a RISC-V processor with the final target to build a fully open-source chip design using open-source technology. The project plans to fabricate the chip using GlobalFoundaries’ 180-nanometre process technology at its manufacturing facilities in Singapore. This approach allows us to build a transparent and verifiable foundation for resilient digital infrastructures of the future.” By embedding security directly into hardware architecture, the work addresses long-term trust, transparency, and resilience challenges that cannot be adequately mitigated through software solutions alone. The research integrates both hardware and software-level protection mechanisms to defend against side-channel and physical attacks – threats that are expected to intensify as quantum and other advanced computing technologies mature. Key components include post-quantum cryptographic accelerators, secure operating systems, and trusted execution environments, ensuring protection across the entire computing stack. To demonstrate real-world applicability, the platform will be validated through practical use cases such as FIDO2 authentication token, with future extensions exploring compatibility with quantum key distribution (QKD) technologies. Strengthening Singapore’s Quantum Security Research Ecosystem QUASAR-CREATE exemplifies Singapore’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge, internationally collaborative research with real-world impact. The programme brings together complementary expertise from NTU, NUS, TUM and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, including contributions from the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied and Integrated Security (AISEC), the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems (ENAS), and Fraunhofer Singapore as an institutional partner. “As quantum technologies move closer to real-world deployment, ensuring trust and security will be essential for their adoption,” said Principal Investigator, NTU Professor Gwee Bah Hwee, School of EEE. He adds, “QUASAR-CREATE allows us to bring together expertise across institutions to address these challenges proactively, supporting Singapore’s efforts to harness emerging technologies in a secure and sustainable way.” Through its leadership of the secure hardware thrust, TUMCREATE strengthens research collaboration with NTU in microelectronics – in close partnership with NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) – extending existing educational ties into joint, application-driven research. The programme also opens pathways for engagement with the QUASAR professorship at NTU, funded by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, reinforcing long-term capability building across research, education, and innovation. By anchoring advanced quantum security research within Singapore’s research ecosystem, TUMCREATE contributes to the translation of frontier science into deployable, future-ready solutions that support trusted digital infrastructures in the quantum era. About QUASAR-CREATEQUASAR-CREATE (Quantum Security and Resilience for Emerging Technologies) is a three-and-a-half-year international research programme funded by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF). The programme brings together the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Fraunhofer@NTU (FSR@NTU), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, and the National University of Singapore (NUS) to address security challenges arising from emerging quantum technologies. QUASAR-CREATE aims to develop quantum-safe digital systems using post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution, while strengthening Singapore’s research capabilities and talent pipeline in quantum security. About TUMCREATEFounded in 2010, TUMCREATE is a multidisciplinary research platform fostering research exchanges between the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the world’s leading universities, local institutions, and public agencies as well as industry partners from the region to contribute to the sustainable transformation of societies through science and technology. Media ContactRachel Melanie Leo, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, TUMCREATE — rachelmelanie.leo@tum-create.edu.sg

The Questions That Made Us Researchers, Leaders, Women in STEM

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In honour of International Women’s Day, we sat down with three women at TUMCREATE to reflect on the questions that shaped their paths towards science, research and leadership. Here’s Sophia Morsten, Zhidan Zheng, and Nadyssa Willanda’s story. Sophia Morsten Research Associate under Proteins4Singapore Project What question first drew you to your field? “During a hospital internship, I was of course very fascinated by surgical robots, but I found myself unexpectedly captivated by the patients’ meal orders. Listening to them share how their diseases dictated their diets made me realise just how important their daily meals were to them. This led me to ask how our daily food intake impacts us and made me want to explore the countless interconnected topics behind food and human health.” What questions made you realise you belonged in STEM? “I have never really thought in terms of STEM or not STEM, but my direction became clear when I was baking a cake and wondered why egg whites will not whip stiff if there is even a drop of yolk in them. It truly satisfied me to understand this on a chemical level, so I knew I had to pursue something with biology and chemistry. You can imagine how ‘egg-cited’ I was when I found out one could actually study food science!” What question has stayed with you throughout your career? “On a light-hearted, daily basis, the question is often simply, ‘What do I eat for lunch?’. However, professionally, I am constantly struck by how much people assume they know about food while the processing steps remain completely non-transparent. This leaves me wondering how future food choices should be made, provided and processed so that we are no longer making uninformed daily decisions.” Zhidan Zheng Research Fellow under QUASAR Project Was there a question that shaped your path? “During my master’s thesis, my PhD mentors once told me that I had a talent for research. It was not phrased as a life-changing question, but it quietly became one in my heart: ‘Could I really do this?’ I had never thought of myself as someone ‘gifted’. I always believed what I achieved came from effort, not talent. Their words surprised me – almost embarrassed me – yet at the same time, opened a small door to me. For the first time, I allowed myself to consider the possibility that I might belong in academia.” What question has stayed with you? “Is there something in this world that only I can do, or change? I don’t think this means something grand or heroic. It might simply mean a problem I can see clearly, a connection I can make, or a path I can build in my own way. Research became meaningful to me because it gives space for that search. What truly defines me is the ability to sit with a difficult question, to look at it from different angles, and to persist until I find clarity. That realisation changed how I see myself – not as someone defined by achievements, but by the way I think.” What would you tell young women entering STEM? “Do not ask, ‘Am I good enough?’ Ask instead, ‘What am I curious enough to pursue?’ When you face doubt, negativity, or failure, do not let anyone define you or beat you down. Stand up again. We are braver and stronger than we sometimes allow ourselves to believe. So don’t stop dreaming, ladies. Curiosity is stronger than fear.” Nadyssa Willanda Research Associate under Proteins4Singapore Project Was there a question that made you ponder a career in science? “I’ve always been the kind of person who asks, ‘But what’s actually going on?’ There must be an explanation to this phenomenon or interaction. Not in a rebellious way – just genuine curiosity about mechanisms and why it is the way it is. Science just felt like a natural place to satisfy that instinct. It gives you tools to go beyond vibes and actually understand processes. At some point during my PhD, I had to ask myself: Do I still belong here if I don’t romanticize this? Curiosity gets complicated under pressure. But I realized I don’t need to glorify science to belong in it. I don’t see STEM as superior to the humanities. They’re dialectical, they shape each other. Chemistry explains flavour. Culture gives it meaning. The coexistence is the point. That’s where I’m comfortable.” What drew you to your field? “I work in flavour chemistry and I’ve always loved food. What fascinated me was realising how a single molecule, something so invisible, can completely make or break a flavour. It sounds small, but it’s powerful. Taste is chemistry meeting psychology. It’s psychology, memory, culture, emotion layered onto molecules. That intersection felt too interesting to ignore.” What question would you like young women to ask? “How can we maintain genuine curiosity in systems that sometimes reward output over reflection? I’m still learning how to protect that part of myself. If curiosity is our inheritance, then protecting it so we can ask better questions is simply honouring it.” At TUMCREATE, we are proud to work alongside women who continue to ask bold and thoughtful questions. Because progress does not begin with certainty. It begins with curiosity. Happy International Women’s Day!