Key Takeaways
- Quantum-safe hardware starts with securing the root of trust.
- HP introduced quantum-safe Secure Boot using hybrid RSA and LMS signatures.
- Hardware migration requires long-term planning due to extended product lifecycles.
- Crypto inventories must include both software and hardware-based cryptography.
- Hybrid cryptography supports a practical transition to post-quantum security.
Hardware as the first line: how HP built quantum-safe security from the ground up
“If you imagine a hardware device, it’s a stack, we’ve got apps at the top, and we’ve got layers of firmware down to the immutable hardware layers. I think it’s really crucial that the foundations, the hardware and the lower levels of firmware, are secure.” – Thalia Laing, HP Security Lab
Quantum safe hardware is no longer a future consideration. Quantum threats are no longer a future problem; they are a design challenge that is already shaping today’s hardware strategy.
In the latest episode of Shielded: The Last Line of Cyber Defense, Thalia Laing, Principal Cryptographer and Security Researcher at HP Security Lab, joins host Jo Lintzen to discuss how HP strengthens device foundations for the quantum era.
From embedding hybrid cryptography into firmware to defining enterprise priorities for migration, Laing explains why post-quantum readiness must begin in hardware.
Securing the foundation before everything else
For Laing and her team, quantum resilience begins in the physical roots of trust, the immutable hardware that supports every cryptographic process above it. HP Security Lab works across the full device stack, from lightweight endpoint controllers to large-scale management systems, ensuring protection where trust originates.
HP’s Quantum-Safe Secure Boot Initiative
This philosophy led to HP’s quantum-safe Secure Boot, introduced in March 2024, well ahead of final NIST PQC standards. The release used RSA plus LMS hybrid signatures, a practical balance between established assurance and quantum-safe design.
RSA provided proven certification continuity, while LMS, standardized by NIST and IETF, brought hash-based resilience for the long term.
The result was a boot process that validates firmware integrity each time a device powers on or resumes from hibernation, maintaining both security and performance.
Hardware Migration as a Multi-Year Strategy
Migrating hardware for quantum resistance requires years of coordinated design and manufacturing effort.
Laing explains how HP teams prioritized Secure Boot early by aligning migration sequencing with device lifespan and potential compromise impact.
“We worked to prioritize what required migration first, given the long lifetimes, the time needed to complete migration, and the impact if compromise occurred. Secure Boot was identified as a critical element to migrate sooner rather than later.” – Thalia Laing
Planning for Long Device Lifecycles
By focusing on components that cannot be updated in the field, HP ensures that devices already in circulation remain trustworthy when quantum-enabled adversaries appear.
Visibility Begins with Inventory
Quantum readiness depends on clarity. Laing underscores the need for a crypto inventory that includes both software libraries and hardware-embedded cryptography, often absent from enterprise visibility.
“A crypto inventory is a record of an organization’s crypto assets. It includes keys, certificates, algorithms, libraries, and protocols. The main reason is risk management. Without knowing what keys exist, it is impossible to identify vulnerable keys or insecure parameters.” – Thalia Laing
Identifying hidden cryptographic risk
Most automated tools cannot detect cryptography hidden in firmware or silicon. Without deliberate inventorying, organizations risk overlooking foundational vulnerabilities that cannot be corrected after deployment.
Hybrid Cryptography: Bridging Confidence and Innovation
Hybrid signatures, combining classical and post-quantum algorithms, form a crucial bridge between legacy systems and quantum-ready infrastructure. While the U.S. government’s CNSA 2.0 does not require hybrids, the European Union promotes them as a transitional safeguard.
“Hybrid is a fascinating tool. It is a key element in the transition. Opinions differ, but both the U.S. and E.U. have taken strong positions on its value.” – Thalia Laing
Balancing compliance and quantum readiness
By nesting LMS within RSA, HP preserves certification pathways while introducing quantum-safe assurance. This hybrid method also supports diverse regional regulations without fragmenting architecture.
Two buckets That guide quantum migration
Laing defines HP’s migration priorities through two focus areas.
Protecting Long-Term Confidentiality: Covering data that requires long-term confidentiality, which may face harvest-now-decrypt-later risk.
- Managing Long-Lived Hardware: This concerns long-lived, hard-to-update hardware, such as business PCs and printers that stay operational for five years or more.
“When we set priorities, we group them in two buckets. One covers data that needs long-term confidentiality. The other, particularly relevant to HP, covers long-lived hardware that is difficult to update.” – Thalia Laing
This framework balances immediate cryptographic exposure with the realities of product lifespan, ensuring every layer of HP’s portfolio remains durable and secure.
Future foundations: quantum-safe by design
As emerging technologies such as AI, edge computing, and new hardware architectures advance, Laing views quantum-safe cryptography as the next foundation of trust.
“Quantum-safe crypto will become foundational, while classical cryptography remains fundamental to everything we do. New architectures and emerging technologies will rely on it.” – Thalia Laing
Strengthening rather than replacing classical security
The evolution strengthens, rather than replaces, classical methods, expanding the need for hybrid agility, secure hardware roots, and proven implementations that endure for decades.
Conclusion: secure the root, sustain the future
Thalia Laing’s message is clear: post-quantum security begins where trust originates, and that’s in hardware. Through hybrid algorithms, transparent inventories, and long-term design discipline, HP is creating a product ecosystem built for quantum-era endurance.
The future of quantum-safe hardware
Quantum-safe hardware is no longer a future ambition, and quantum readiness has already reached the hardware layer, and each secure boot is a step toward resilience that will last well into the future.
Listen to the full conversation
Listen to the full conversation with Thalia Laing on Shielded: The Last Line of Cyber Defense, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5NCdTlEjeadkxjAinslHkP?si=NymgGyt3R-OSwco6ML4b0A
https://youtu.be/s0zALrio-kc?si=0kB7G6JECPPKW_4G
If you would like to learn more about PQShield’s post-quantum security solutions and how organizations can prepare for a future built on quantum-safe hardware, get in touch with our team.
About Thalia Laing
Thalia Laing is the Principal Cryptographer and Security Researcher at HP Security Lab, where she leads research and implementation initiatives in post-quantum cryptography, hardware-based security, and trusted computing.
She has played a key role in HP’s development of quantum-safe Secure Boot for business PCs and printers, integrating hybrid RSA + LMS architectures that strengthen firmware integrity and protect devices throughout their lifecycle.
Over nearly eight years at HP, she has contributed to advancing cryptographic standards, security innovation, and enterprise readiness for the quantum era.
Supporting industry-wide quantum migration
Thalia holds a PhD in Cyber Security from Royal Holloway, University of London, where her research on enhanced threshold schemes explored the balance between security and efficiency in distributed cryptographic systems.
A member of the NIST NCCoE Migration to PQC Project, she continues to collaborate across industry and academia to accelerate the adoption of quantum-resistant security technologies.
Known for her rigour and clarity in applying cryptography to real-world engineering, Thalia focuses on designing security foundations that endure across generations of hardware and emerging post-quantum standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is quantum safe hardware?
Quantum safe hardware refers to devices and components designed to support post-quantum cryptography and protect against future quantum computing threats.
Why is hardware important for post-quantum security?
Hardware often contains the root of trust for a device. Securing firmware, boot processes, and hardware-based cryptography helps create a stronger foundation for long-term security.
What is quantum-safe secure Boot?
Quantum-safe secure boot uses post-quantum or hybrid cryptographic algorithms to verify firmware integrity during startup, helping prevent unauthorised code from running on a device.
Why are crypto inventories important for quantum readiness?
Crypto inventories help organizations identify cryptographic assets, vulnerable algorithms, and systems that require migration before quantum threats become practical.
How does hybrid cryptography support quantum-safe hardware?
Hybrid cryptography combines classical and post-quantum algorithms, enabling organizations to maintain compatibility while gradually transitioning to quantum-resistant security models.