A Samsung Knox leader now building quantum security at BTQ

Dr. Michael Grace, formerly the leader of Samsung Mobile’s Knox Security Team responsible for Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass, is now joining BTQ Technologies to bolster the security of its Quantum Compute-in-Memory architecture. This appointment adds critical product security expertise as BTQ, listed on both the Nasdaq and CBOE CA exchanges, advances QCIM toward commercial evaluation.

“Michael brings a perspective that becomes increasingly important as QCIM moves from core architecture into broader system integration and commercial evaluation,” said Olivier Roussy Newton, CEO and Chairman of BTQ Technologies. His experience will be valuable as the company integrates QCIM into real-world devices and infrastructure.

Dr. Michael Grace Joins BTQ to Strengthen QCIM Product Security

Dr. Grace’s move brings expertise from securing enterprise products into the rapidly developing field of quantum-resistant cryptography. His prior work focused on practical security implementations, a skillset BTQ intends to leverage as QCIM transitions from core design to broader integration and eventual commercial deployment. BTQ Technologies, listed on both the Nasdaq (BTQ) and CBOE CA (BTQ) exchanges, anticipates Grace’s experience will be critical as they advance their QCIM chip roadmap in collaboration with ICTK Co., Ltd, the company says.

(KOSDAQ: 456010) and Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Recent validation work confirmed the functional correctness of the QCIM core within a TSMC 28-nanometer design environment, demonstrating acceleration of cryptographic operations aligned with U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology post-quantum cryptography standards.

The program is now focused on module-level integration and validation to assess how the QCIM core can be incorporated into larger systems while maintaining performance and interoperability. “Security architecture has to work as part of the complete system, not just in isolation,” said Dr. Michael Grace.

“My career has focused on that intersection in taking security technologies and making them practical across devices, platforms and real-world deployment environments.” He explained that QCIM addresses a crucial challenge as cryptographic requirements evolve, and he expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with the BTQ team as the architecture moves toward validation and commercialization. BTQ’s QCIM is designed as a soft IP cryptographic accelerator intended to support both classical and post-quantum cryptography in a compact, low-power block, reducing latency and data movement while enabling crypto-agile security across various chip architectures and connected devices. The next-generation chip is being developed for applications ranging from IoT and AI devices to industrial systems and secure elements where robust, long-term cryptographic resilience is paramount.