Elmos takes a 2mm source of quantum randomness to electronica
An encryption system can use an excellent algorithm and still begin with a poor secret. If the random values used to create a key are predictable, adding more sophistication elsewhere does not restore the uncertainty that was missing at the start.
Elmos is bringing its quantum random number generator to electronica as part of a programme covering automotive and industrial ICs. The component offers a more specific subject than another general promise of quantum security: generating random data inside a small semiconductor package.
The company’s approach uses in-chip photoemission, generating and detecting photons to obtain randomness from quantum physical processes. Its published information describes a DFN package measuring 2 × 2mm, operation down to 1.8V and scalable output from 500kbit/s into the multi-megabit range. Elmos has also described an integration route through IP licensing, alongside a standalone IC.
The attraction of a small package is straightforward. An entropy source can sit near the processor, sensor or communications controller that needs it, rather than requiring a separate quantum instrument. Power consumption and start-up behaviour then become part of the security hardware’s normal operating budget, particularly in equipment that repeatedly sleeps and wakes.
Randomness is one part of the security system
The word quantum needs careful handling here. A quantum source of randomness does not, by itself, make an encryption algorithm resistant to a quantum computer. Entropy generation and the mathematical properties of the cryptographic algorithm are separate parts of the design.
There is also more to an entropy source than the physical event from which it begins. NIST’s SP 800-90B addresses source characterisation, health testing and conditioning, while the wider SP 800-90 family describes how entropy sources and deterministic generators fit together. A source that appears random under normal conditions still needs a defined response when its behaviour changes or a fault occurs.
Elmos’s published flyer lists BSI and NIST certification as planned. It should not be read as evidence that either certification has already been awarded. The product information provides package, supply and data-rate details, while security evaluation remains a distinct claim requiring its own documentation.
The electronica programme also includes eFuse power protection and automotive control. Elmos will exhibit in Hall C3, stand 141, from 10–13 November.
