[Featured Stock] ICTK, 'Game Changer' Quantum... World’s First Technology Continues to Receive 'Love Calls'

ICTK is showing strong performance. News that the company is embarking on the domestic production of PCIe HSM with government support appears to be influencing its stock price. Previously, the government announced plans to secure global leadership in three major game-changing technologies: AI-semiconductors, advanced bio, and quantum. Yusang-im, Minister of Science and ICT, indicated special attention will be given to quantum among the three game-changing technologies, expressing particular concern.

As of 10:35 AM on the 29th, ICTK was trading at 10,270 KRW, up 630 KRW (6.54%) from the previous trading day.

ICTK, a 'next-generation security fabless company,' has been finally selected as a participating company in the 'Small and Medium Enterprise Technology Innovation Development Project' led by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. ICTK will begin developing a domestically produced PCIe HSM based on PUF (Physically Unclonable Function) equipped with a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithm.

PCIe is a computer bus standard for high-speed data transfer, responsible for communication between various computer components. HSM is a dedicated hardware device that generates, stores, manages, and protects encryption keys, playing a crucial role in security infrastructure.

PCIe-based HSM is a high-performance encryption management solution that can be easily integrated into servers through a high-speed PCIe interface, enabling efficient construction and operation of security infrastructure. Major demand sectors are expected to include banks and financial institutions, cloud service providers, government, and public institutions.

Jeongwon Lee, CEO of ICTK, explained, "Since the government recently announced support for development and investment in quantum computing and related fields, demand for quantum cryptography communication technology is expected to continue increasing." He added, "ICTK will lead the quantum security market with domestic technology."

The security chip market is projected to grow from 10 trillion KRW in 2022 to 13 trillion KRW by 2028. With the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and increased product usage, cybersecurity threats are rising, driving demand for security chips. Enterprises, governments, and public institutions are adopting embedded security solutions by installing security chips in IoT devices. Major companies are also applying embedded security to IoT products such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

ICTK is one of the fastest-moving leading companies in the quantum security field. It succeeded in developing the Giant 5 (G5) chip with PQC technology applied in collaboration with LG Uplus. This is the world's first case of commercializing a chip applying PUF technology and quantum cryptography technology. Based on the G5 chip, USIM and eSIM have been developed and are already applied to communication devices. It is expected that equipping the chip with PQC algorithms will protect against future quantum computer attacks. In 2022, ICTK signed security chip supply contracts with global big tech companies and global laptop manufacturers.

ICTK is establishing itself as a technology-leading company in the market by publishing white papers related to PUF technology in the TIES (Trusted IoT Ecosystem for Security) division of the Global Semiconductor Alliance. It is proactively responding to the advancement of IT technology by launching products supporting post-quantum cryptography algorithms ahead of competitors to prepare for the upcoming quantum era.