The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) has released new guidance to help organizations verify whether their hardware, specifically Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs), genuinely meet post-quantum cryptography (PQC) requirements. This move comes as businesses seek to future-proof their systems against potential quantum-enabled cyberattacks.
TCG, a non-profit organization focused on vendor-neutral standards for hardware-based security, published the guidance on August 24, 2026. TPMs are specialized security chips, often integrated into motherboards or processors, that securely store sensitive data such as passwords, digital certificates, and encryption keys. TPM 2.0, the second generation of these modules, is a requirement for Windows 11.
The organization emphasizes that TPMs will likely be crucial in PQC roadmaps due to their ability to maintain trusted identities, platform integrity, attestation, and hardware-anchored security over extended periods, potentially decades, as PQC algorithms evolve.
Not all TPMs currently available offer quantum-safe encryption, and some products advertised as "compliant" may not provide full, end-to-end security capabilities. To address this, TCG convened nearly 90 contributors in March 2026, including representatives from government, academia, and major technology companies like Intel, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Lenovo, and STMicroelectronics. This collaboration led to the development of the TCG PC Client Platform TPM Profile (PTP) 1.07, which outlines the minimum requirements for PQC-ready TPMs.
The newly released accompanying document assists businesses in verifying if their TPMs comply with the PTP 1.07 standard. It also introduces two categories to describe a TPM's readiness for the PQC transition: 'TCG PQC-ready TPM,' for modules that already support the PQC capabilities defined in PTP 1.07, and 'TCG PQC-upgradable TPM,' for those designed to be upgraded to support the standard. These designations aim to simplify understanding a platform's PQC transition status.
TCG also announced plans to enhance its existing certification programs to specifically certify 'TCG PQC-ready TPMs,' further solidifying the verification process for quantum-safe hardware.
