# Pukyong National University and ICTK build a hardware engine for RSA, ECC, ML-KEM and ML-DSA

- Published: 2026-11-05 20:21 UTC
- Section: Digital & Computing › Data security
- Tags: post-quantum cryptography, hardware cryptographic engine, ML-KEM, ML-DSA, RSA and ECC, ICTK security chip, KpqC, public-key cryptography, Pukyong National University
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-7e7498b984a7fd1f65cf55a6_pukyong_national_university/

**The Pukyong National University team led by Choi Pil-ju and ICTK developed one engine for classical and post-quantum cryptography; it is already used in ICTK security chips.**

![Pukyong National University and ICTK build a hardware engine for RSA, ECC, ML-KEM and ML-DSA](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/581fb578ec298cf5.jpg)
*Raimond Spekking, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

A research team led by Professor Choi Pil-ju at Pukyong National University in Korea has developed a hardware engine that supports both conventional public-key cryptography and post-quantum cryptography (PQC). The work was done together with the quantum-security fabless company ICTK, viva100.com reports [1]. It is an industry–academia collaboration.

The team has been working on the project since September 2024. It developed an engine that jointly supports the established RSA and ECC algorithms and the internationally standardized post-quantum algorithms ML-KEM and ML-DSA [1].

## One engine for several algorithms

According to the report, the design allows several cryptographic algorithms to be processed on a single hardware block. The emphasis was on reducing the load on hardware resources and power consumption [1]. The developed technology is currently used in ICTK's security chips [1].

The team plans follow-up research through August 2028. Its goals are to improve performance and to develop a programmable cryptographic engine that also supports the Korean post-quantum cryptography standard, KpqC [1].

## Other results from the university

The same report describes a development by the team of Professor Kim Ju-hyun from the polymer engineering program at Pukyong National University: a new hole-transport layer material that can be used in both perovskite and organic solar cells [1]. The researchers tuned the molecular structure of a phenothiazine-based self-assembled monolayer (SAM), which, as reported, reduces defects and energy losses inside the cell [1].

A perovskite solar cell with the new material reached a power conversion efficiency of 25.5% and retained 93% of its initial efficiency after 500 hours. An organic solar cell reached an efficiency of 20.4% [1].

Doctoral student Ayuni and researcher Son Dong-hwan, among others, took part in the work. The results were published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials [1].

## Sources

1. [viva100.com](https://www.viva100.com/article/20261105501135)
2. [yna.co.kr](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261105116800051)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-7e7498b984a7fd1f65cf55a6_pukyong_national_university/