Giesecke+Devrient wins award for quantum-safe ID card

Giesecke+Devrient and Bundesdruckerei have received a Juniper Research Gold Award for a quantum-safe identity card demonstrator developed with the German Federal Office for Information Security and Infineon.

The award recognised a functional national identity card implementation that combines conventional cryptography with post-quantum cryptography. According to the companies, it is among the first examples of its kind for a national identity document.

Technical constraints

Identity documents operate under tight technical constraints, especially on the chips embedded in cards and passports. This has made post-quantum cryptography harder to apply than in less restricted computing environments, because the algorithms require more processing power while still needing to meet strict security standards.

The demonstrator uses a hybrid model that combines established cryptographic methods with post-quantum techniques. This approach follows current recommendations for quantum-safe algorithms and is intended to provide protection while standards and deployment models continue to evolve.

A central part of the project was implementing post-quantum cryptography on the resource-constrained chips used in identity documents. Giesecke+Devrient said it addressed the challenge of deploying the more computationally intensive algorithms securely and efficiently in that environment.

Infineon supplied the chips for the project. The companies said the design supports faster implementation of post-quantum cryptography and includes measures intended to resist side-channel attacks, which exploit information leaked during computation.

Earlier development

The project builds on earlier work in the field. Bundesdruckerei said it had previously worked with partners on a demonstrator for an electronic passport designed to meet the security demands posed by quantum computing.

Governments, chipmakers and security specialists have been studying the impact quantum computing could have on current encryption systems, particularly those used to secure identity, payments and communications. The concern is that sufficiently advanced quantum computers could eventually weaken or break some widely used public-key cryptographic methods, prompting a search for alternatives that can be deployed well before that point.

In identity systems, the issue is especially acute because documents often remain in circulation for years and the infrastructure that supports them can be slow to replace. As a result, decisions about cryptography may need to account for long-term risks well before any large-scale quantum attack becomes practical.

Industry recognition

Thomas Löer, Head of German ID-Systems at Bundesdruckerei, said the award reflects years of work on the issue.

"As a security company of the German federal government, Bundesdruckerei has been working on post-quantum cryptography and quantum computing for many years. In 2022, together with our partners, we developed the world's first demonstrator for an electronic passport that also meets the high security requirements of the quantum computing era. We are very pleased to now receive this award for our project with G+D and our other partners to develop a quantum-safe identity card," said Thomas Löer, Head of German ID-Systems, Bundesdruckerei.

Giesecke+Devrient described the card demonstrator as evidence that quantum-resistant cryptography can move beyond laboratory concepts into practical identity products. It said the work helps establish a foundation for protecting digital identities against future threats linked to quantum computing.

Gabriel von Mitschke-Collande, Group CDO at G+D, said the project showed that post-quantum methods can be adapted for identity document chips.

"Post-quantum cryptography will become a key building block for the security of digital identities. With the demonstrator, we show that quantum-safe solutions can be implemented under the specific requirements of identity document chips. Having this technological achievement recognized with a Juniper Award is a great honor for us and, at the same time, confirms our commitment to shaping security for the quantum era at an early stage," said Gabriel von Mitschke-Collande, Group CDO, G+D.