On March 29, 2021, Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) announced that its Cryptography Research Center (CRC) had launched the first post-quantum cryptography (PQC) software library in the UAE. The release stated the library was written in the C programming language and supported a wide variety of computer architectures and operating systems. A corresponding hardware FPGA-based implementation was also developed.
According to TII, the library had already been integrated into several secure communication products with advanced cryptographic protocols. Dr. Najwa Aaraj, then Chief Researcher at CRC, said the library served as the foundation of any security application integrating public-key cryptography functionality.
ATRC Secretary General Faisal Al Bannai said the release placed the UAE “in the same league of countries that possess advanced digital data security capabilities.” CRC was described as one of the few centers internationally that brings together theoretical and applied cryptographers in a research-oriented setting, with work spanning PQC, hardware-based cryptography, lightweight cryptography, and cryptanalysis.