Elodie Collins 
Leidos has joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Consortium to help advance cryptographic discovery and ease industry migration to PQC.
As part of the consortium, Leidos said it will work with industry and government agencies to drive innovation and shape cryptographic migration strategies, support the development of resilient standards, and provide guidance to organizations preparing to adopt NIST-approved PQC algorithms.
What Is NIST’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Consortium?
NIST launched the Post-Quantum Cryptography Consortium to strengthen resilience against the threat of quantum computing, which can break traditional encryption methods that protect sensitive data and secure communications. The computational power of quantum systems could render widely used cryptographic algorithms ineffective, creating risks for national security, critical infrastructure and federal missions.
What Are Leidos’ Other Quantum Initiatives?
Beyond cryptography, Leidos is applying quantum technologies to navigation and secure communications. Under a Defense Innovation Unit contract, the company is developing magnetic navigation, or MagNav, technology as an alternative to GPS, which is susceptible to jamming. The effort includes a subcontract with Frequency Electronics to build a quantum magnetometer using nitrogen-vacancy diamonds to enhance navigation accuracy.
Leidos also secured a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to support the Quantum Augmented Network program, focused on developing hybrid quantum-based communications to protect critical infrastructure.
