Thales powers CES-winning post-quantum chip from Samsung Electronics

• Thales’ secure operating system (OS) supports Samsung's security chip, winner of the CES 2026 ‘Best Cybersecurity Innovation’ Award.
• The chip is the first embedded Secure Element (eSE) to integrate post-quantum cryptography (PQC), protecting devices against tomorrow’s quantum-enabled cyber threats.
• Thales’ quantum-resistant software and OS enable unmatched performance, energy efficiency and long-term data protection.

Quantum computers, with their unprecedented processing power, will ultimately challenge today’s encryption standards. This is why Thales welcomes the CES 2026 recognition awarded to the new post-quantum–ready security chip from Samsung Electronics' System LSI Business, which embeds Thales’ secure operating system and quantum-resistant cryptographic libraries. This breakthrough represents a major step forward in protecting connected devices against both current cyberattacks and tomorrow’s quantum-era threats.

Thales’ hardened OS enables Samsung's award-winning security chip to deliver hardware-based, quantum-resistant protection from the moment devices power on. Ultimately, it ensures that encrypted data and device credentials remain secure against both classical and quantum attacks, preserving confidentiality, integrity and long-term trust, even in a post-quantum world.

The risk is not only future-oriented: malicious actors can already intercept and store encrypted data today, waiting for the moment quantum capability arrives to decrypt it later (“harvest now, decrypt later”). Indeed, with the expected power of quantum computing, anything protected by current standards (personal identities, sensitive credentials and even the cryptographic keys embedded in connected devices) could be exposed.

Thales’ OS and PQC libraries enable the Samsung chip to perform next-generation cryptography at high speed with reduced power and memory consumption. This ensures:

• Quantum-resistant encryption and authentication.
• High-performance cryptographic operations on the smallest footprint.
• Long-term confidentiality against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks.

“We are very proud to partner with Samsung System LSI on this pioneering achievement. The S3SSE2A chip is a game-changer, offering robust, future-proof security in an energy-efficient design. This breakthrough confirms that post-quantum security is not just for high-end systems, it is essential for all connected devices, from consumer electronics to vast IoT ecosystems. Together, our companies have redefined what is possible for embedded cybersecurity, setting a new benchmark for the industry.” Eva Rudin, Vice President, Mobile Connectivity Solutions at Thales

Hwa Yeal Yu, vice president and head of the System LSI Security & Power Product Development Team at Samsung Electronics, added: "Samsung and Thales have built a long-standing collaboration in security, and we are pleased to introduce the S3SSE2A, the industry’s first PQC total solution. Developed jointly from the outset to integrate hardware and software, this solution delivers an exceptional level of security. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Thales to advance security solutions for the next generation of connected devices."

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies in advanced for the Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.

The Group invests more than €4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies. Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of €20.6 billion.