TOPPAN Develops PQC CARD Dual, the World’s First Dual-Interface Smart Card Featuring Post-Quantum Cryptography

03 August 2026: TOPPAN Inc. has developed PQC CARD Dual, a smart card that supports contact and contactless use while running post-quantum cryptography alongside conventional cryptographic methods. The company plans proof-of-concept testing in fiscal 2026 and aims to offer the card and related systems from fiscal 2027, initially for public-service and medical authentication.

TOPPAN describes PQC CARD Dual as the world’s first post-quantum smart card with both interfaces. That claim is based on the company’s research as of July 2026 and has not been independently confirmed.

How the card works

The card incorporates ML-KEM and ML-DSA, two algorithms finalised by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology in August 2024. ML-KEM, published as FIPS 203, is a key-encapsulation standard used to establish shared secrets. ML-DSA, published as FIPS 204, is a digital-signature standard.

It also supports established public-key methods including RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography. TOPPAN says this combination will help organisations continue using existing systems while moving gradually to post-quantum protection rather than replacing every part of their infrastructure at once.

Memory-saving design tackles smart-card limits

Post-quantum algorithms generally demand more memory and processing capacity than conventional smart-card cryptography. The challenge is greater for a dual-interface card because it must manage communication through both a physical contact and a contactless radio interface.

TOPPAN said its proprietary memory-saving technology enabled the new algorithms to run within those limits. The implementation uses Java Card, allowing the cryptographic functions to sit alongside applications for identity checks, access control and payments. However, the company has not published independent performance results, memory figures or pilot data for PQC CARD Dual.

Preparing for the post-quantum transition The development comes as governments and businesses prepare for the risk that sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually break widely used public-key systems. NIST says organisations should begin migrating now and plans to deprecate and ultimately remove quantum-vulnerable algorithms from its standards by 2035, with high-risk systems moving earlier.

TOPPAN will first test PQC CARD Dual and related systems in areas that handle sensitive information. Commercial availability remains conditional on the fiscal 2026 trials confirming the system’s effectiveness.

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