PQC PJ -

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Start and Purpose of the PQC Project

Today, I would like to share the outcomes of the PQC project as of September 1. PQC stands for post-quantum cryptography, and as a venture and research facility, we have been exploring how we might deliver value in this field. Over the past three weeks, we have adopted the attitude of “climbing a high mountain, even if impossible,” and have been building while simultaneously trying to understand what post-quantum cryptography really is. In that process, we also examined the current situation in light of standards from NIST, ISO, and IEEE.

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Investigation of Protocols

The first element we worked on was analyzing protocols. Many cryptographic protocols exist, and the mainstream approach relies on lattices. However, using lattices does not automatically mean a protocol is superior. There are many kinds of lattices, and we investigated the inner workings of each protocol, one by one, to understand the mathematical foundations and design principles behind them.

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Organizing International Standards and Mapping

Next, we looked into the trends of standardization efforts in IEEE, NIST, and ISO. Some of these are still at the draft stage, but parts of them are already taking shape as official standards. Within these, we tried to identify which sections correspond to mathematical models and which relate to implementation methods, and then mapped them accordingly.

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Consideration of Validators

The third area of focus was the exploration of “validators.” Using Julia and C as the main languages, we investigated whether such a system could be implemented. In general, a validator refers to a mechanism that checks whether a given post-quantum cryptography protocol properly fits an implementation environment. Through this lens, we examined how validation could be practically carried out in a research context.

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Engagement with Open Quantum Safe

During this work, we came across the “Open Quantum Safe” initiative, an organization backed by the Linux Foundation where world-leading researchers are collaborating. Inspired by this, we released a Julia-based library called the “Open Program Toolkit – PQC.” While there are still uncertainties about its stability and whether it will run under all conditions, we prioritized making it public. We also submitted pull requests to contribute to Open Quantum Safe. However, in the course of technical exchanges, we faced tough questions such as “Is this really necessary?” which made us strongly aware of the challenges ahead.

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Experiments with Small Lattices and Educational Applications

At the same time, we recognized the need for tools that allow people to intuitively grasp how cryptography works. For this reason, we began experimenting with small-scale lattices, such as 2×2 grids, to examine at what computational scale they could be broken. Ideally, even a preschool child could “try to break it and fail,” thereby experiencing first-hand the difficulty of the problem. This approach is also valuable for people in the humanities, business decision-makers, university students, and working professionals. We believe many would benefit from understanding what lattice-based cryptography is and what it means to break it. Such workshops or edtech-style formats align with our original expertise, and we are now returning to these roots to refine our ideas.

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International Mentorship and Positioning

We also had the chance to receive mentoring from internationally active researchers in this field. While we do not think we can contribute at a world-class level, we have been exploring how we might position ourselves as a grassroots research facility within the industry. Though it has only been three weeks since we began, thanks to our team members, we have gradually come to see the approximate level and scale that suits us, even while recognizing that many aspects remain extremely challenging.

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Future Direction and Hypothesis

Going forward, we will continue grounding ourselves while not forgetting to strive for understanding at higher levels. Our priority is to expand the Julia library, and through that process, catch up with the theoretical aspects, so that we can create tools that are genuinely useful to society. To put it simply, our current hypothesis is that we aim to build a “miniature version of Open Quantum Safe” as a citizen-driven activity. For this reason, we sincerely ask for your feedback and support as we move forward.