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Post-Quantum Security

Sui Co-Founder Builds $10 Quantum-Safe Wallet Cards

Sead Fadilpašić avatar
BY: Sead Fadilpašić
PUB:
ETA: [ 5 MIN ]

Kostas Chalkias, co-founder and cryptography expert at Mysten Labs, is developing hardware wallet cards for Sui users that utilize post-quantum cryptography (PQC) through NFC taps. Chalkias leases a dedicated factory, and aims to produce cards at a price of under $10, with quantum signatures that can be created in one to two seconds. This effort is in preparation for a potential future where powerful quantum computers could break the encryption protecting blockchain accounts.

What Chalkias is working on

Specifically, in an August 10 post on X, Chalkias described the project as a low-cost, quantum-based two-factor authentication card for Sui. He mentioned leasing a factory in a secret location to manufacture the cards and has personally taken on the project outside his Mysten Labs role. Chalkias also suggested that he might offer free cards to users who cannot afford them.

Sui co-founder's X post.
Sui co-founder’s X post. Source: Kostas Kryptos

Chalkias’ stated objectives include a card price below $10 and NFC signature completion in one to two seconds. However, the source doesn’t confirm whether mass production has started, whether you can buy any cards, or if the project has met the speed and cost targets. Furthermore, it’s unclear whether the card serves as a signing device, a second authentication factor, a wallet key, or a combination of these roles.

Chalkias referenced the recent Coldcard incident as motivation, stating that “what happened to Coldcard will NEVER happen to my people.” That said, this is rhetorical, not evidence of the card’s security. Coinkite, the maker of Coldcard, discovered a firmware flaw in 2021 that bypassed the device’s hardware randomness chip and used a predictable software process instead. This was not a quantum attack. The incident led to an estimated 2,055 BTC, worth around $130 million, disappearing from over 7,700 addresses.

Sui’s roadmap

The card project complements Sui’s plan to implement two NIST-approved post-quantum signature schemes – one for everyday accounts and another for Move-based vaults. Still, these plans are protocol-level and not yet integrated into the main network. Sui aims to allow existing accounts to upgrade to a quantum-resistant key derived from their recovery phrase, eliminating the need for a full wallet migration.