What is SEALSQ VaultIC409 Post-Quantum Secure Element?

Much of today's digital security relies on public-key cryptography, which uses mathematical problems that a future quantum computer might be able to solve. Post-quantum cryptography is the effort to build algorithms believed to be secure even against such a computer. Devices like meters and sensors need a safe place to keep their secret keys, and a secure element is a tamper-resistant chip that protects keys, certificates and sensitive data against software and hardware attacks. The VaultIC409 is a secure element from the company SEALSQ; the maker describes it as a secure element for the post-quantum era, listing support for ECC and RSA (today's algorithms) alongside post-quantum ones, and secure key storage. The maker's press release says engineering samples are planned for Q2 2027, so this is a product announcement rather than a shipping chip.

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