Swiss secure messaging company Threema has announced a strategic collaboration with IBM's research division to develop encryption technologies capable of withstanding future quantum computers. The aim is to prepare digital communications for a scenario in which current cryptographic methods may become vulnerable.
The initiative aims to introduce post-quantum cryptography into the platform gradually, strengthening the app's security standards and anticipating technological risks that, although still distant, are already mobilising researchers and cybersecurity firms around the world.
Quantum computers differ from traditional systems because they use “qubits” instead of bits. While a bit can only take the value 0 or 1, qubits can exist in several states at once, thanks to quantum mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement. This characteristic makes it possible to perform certain calculations much faster than conventional computers.
This capability poses a challenge for digital security. Many encryption systems in use today rely on the mathematical difficulty of solving certain problems, such as factoring very large numbers — a process that is practically impossible for classical computers. However, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could solve these operations more efficiently, making some current cryptographic methods vulnerable.
Despite the concerns, experts stress that the technology is still at an early stage. Existing quantum computers operate with only a few hundred unstable qubits and with high error rates. Breaking widely used encryption systems would require a far greater number of stable qubits, something that remains a significant technological challenge.
It is precisely to anticipate that future that the partnership between Threema and IBM Research aims to develop new cryptographic methods that do not depend on the traditional mathematical operations exploited by quantum algorithms. According to the company, this collaboration will lay the foundations for communications that are truly resistant to the quantum era.
IBM Research is considered one of the largest technology research divisions in the world, having contributed to fundamental advances in several scientific and technological fields. Researchers linked to the company also took part in developing some of the post-quantum cryptography standards selected by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
With this initiative, Threema seeks to strengthen its commitment to security and privacy protection, aiming to ensure that its communication solutions are prepared for the technological threats that may emerge in the coming decades.
