Professor Jintai Ding Delivers Keynote Speech on Post-Quantum Cryptography at the 9th CCCQD

From 8th to 12th May 2025, the Ninth Symposium on Coding Theory, Cryptography and Combinatorics was held in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Professor Jintai Ding, Dean of the School of Mathematics and Physics at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), was invited to present his keynote speech titled “Post-quantum Cryptography – a New Era". The event was organised by the China Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, with Shandong University serving as co-host.

In his speech, Professor Ding provided a compelling analysis of the existential threat quantum computing poses to current cryptographic systems. He demonstrated how traditional public-key encryption methods, including widely used RSA algorithms, could be effortlessly broken by quantum computers running Shor's algorithm.

"This isn't merely a technical upgrade, but a fundamental transformation of global cybersecurity infrastructure," Professor Ding emphasised. "From operating system security patches to central bank digital currency networks, the world needs to invest trillions to rebuild our cryptographic foundations."

As a leading authority in cryptography, Professor Ding played a pivotal role in developing ML-KEM (FIPS 203), the world's first government-approved post-quantum encryption standard by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He outlined the rigorous development process behind this groundbreaking protocol.

The professor highlighted his team's recent breakthrough in lattice-based cryptography. Their innovative encryption technique has overcome critical challenges in quantum-resistant key exchange systems. Notably, the team set a new record at the prestigious Darmstadt Lattice Challenge by solving an unprecedented 200-dimensional shortest vector problem - a mathematical feat that validates their system's real-world robustness.

"We stand at a historic inflecion point for cryptography," Professor Ding concluded. "Post-quantum security isn't just an academic pursuit - it's vital for national cybersecurity and digital economies. Our PQC-X interdisciplinary lab at XJTLU will continue advancing this crucial transition."

By Qinru Liu

Photos courtesy of Shandong University