KUCHING (Oct 6): The Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC) and IBM Malaysia Sdn Bhd plan to establish the Sarawak Quantum Safe Centre, an innovation hub that will help organisations prepare for cybersecurity risks posed by advances in quantum computing.
The proposed centre will focus on quantum-safe readiness, research, talent development and ecosystem building while supporting Sarawak’s broader ambitions in digital sovereignty and trusted data governance.
“Sarawak is investing boldly in the technologies that will define the future. Together with IBM, we are accelerating innovation, building quantum-safe readiness and strengthening the capabilities needed to drive long-term competitiveness,” said Patrick Then, CEO of SAIC.
“This agreement positions Sarawak at the forefront of the post-quantum security era, reinforcing our standing as a trusted destination for digital innovation,” said Then.
Quantum computers are expected eventually to be capable of breaking some of the cryptographic methods currently used to secure sensitive data, prompting governments and companies to begin transitioning towards post-quantum cryptography.
One concern is the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat, where encrypted information is stolen today and stored until sufficiently powerful quantum computers become available to decrypt it.
IBM Malaysia country general manager and technology leader Dickson Woo said greater public-private collaboration would be needed as the technology develops.
“The post-quantum era is approaching faster than many organisations realise. At this pivotal moment, strong public-private collaboration is essential to securing critical data and systems from ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ attacks and future cryptographically relevant quantum computers,” said Woo.
SAIC and IBM also plan to help organisations identify their existing cryptographic assets, assess vulnerabilities and prioritise risks as they prepare to migrate towards post-quantum security standards.
The collaboration will use IBM Guardium Cryptography Manager to support the discovery and inventory of cryptographic assets and assist organisations in managing remediation and transition planning.
The parties also intend to develop frameworks and methodologies to guide organisations through the transition while exploring demonstrations, customer programmes and scalable services for small and medium enterprises, large corporations and public-sector agencies.
IBM Malaysia chief technology officer Eddy Liew said post-quantum readiness would be important for protecting critical infrastructure and the wider digital economy.
Liew added that the collaboration marked an important step towards strengthening Malaysia’s quantum-safe capabilities and preparing critical infrastructure for emerging security risks.
According to IBM Institute for Business Value’s 2025 Quantum-Safe Readiness Index, 73% of organisations surveyed said business and technology leaders were working closely on quantum-safe strategy but only 19% had near-term maturity goals for their initiatives.