PQ Shield’s Dr. Axel Poschmann received the Test of Time Award at CHES 2026 for his work designing PRESENT, an ultra-lightweight block cipher. Created as a more efficient alternative to AES for resource-constrained devices like RFID tags and sensor networks, PRESENT was one of only two algorithms initially included in the ISO/IEC 29192-2 international lightweight cryptography standard.
“Great security research isn’t just about solving today’s problems,” says Poschmann, “It’s about anticipating the needs of tomorrow’s technology ecosystem.” The design principles behind PRESENT now underpin secure communication across billions of low-power devices powering the Internet of Things.
PRESENT Cipher Recognized with CHES 2026 Test of Time Award
Created as a solution for resource-constrained devices, the cipher’s architecture prioritized minimal hardware footprint while retaining the structural advantages of a block cipher over simpler stream ciphers. This focus addressed a critical gap. The widely adopted Advanced Encryption Standard, or AES, proved too resource-intensive for applications like RFID tags and sensor networks.
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