CIRES Starts: G+D Strengthens Europe’s Critical Infrastructure for the Quantum Age
Munich, 2nd October 2026 – Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) is participating as a technology partner in CIRES, a European research and innovation project launched under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU). Over the next 36 months, 17 partners from five European countries will work together to strengthen the resilience and technological sovereignty of Europe’s critical infrastructure, with a particular focus on energy and digital infrastructure.
Drawing on decades of experience in secure communications, digital identity and resilient infrastructure, G+D will contribute its expertise in highly secure connectivity and embedded security technologies. As part of the project, the company is developing eSIM and iSIM technologies with integrated post-quantum cryptography and crypto-agile security mechanisms. These technologies will serve as trust anchors for identity, authentication and secure communication in critical systems.
The goal of CIRES (Critical Infrastructure Resilience through Edge Computing Systems) is to develop an end-to-end technology stack for resilient edge computing. It is designed to keep critical systems operational in the event of cyberattacks, power outages, communication or supply chain disruptions, while enabling them to continue operating locally and recover in a controlled manner.
The consortium is developing, among other things, robust embedded AI for low-latency local decision-making, secure and fault-tolerant communication across heterogeneous networks, resilient timing and synchronization mechanisms, and distributed edge-to-cloud architectures. At the same time, the use of European hardware and software technologies will help reduce dependencies and strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty.
As part of the project, G+D is responsible for developing and integrating highly secure, post-quantum-ready eSIM/iSIM solutions for communication systems in critical infrastructure. These solutions enable resilient, highly available connectivity and authentication, even when central networks fail or come under attack. The focus is on developing a resilient, crypto-agile eSIM/iSIM operating system for eUICC and iUICC platforms. The resulting platform provides a post-quantum-secure hardware root of trust for communication systems in multi-RAT environments.
These solutions also support the flexible and secure management of connectivity profiles throughout a device’s entire lifecycle, using resilient backend systems to manage eSIM and iSIM connectivity securely. This allows critical infrastructure operators to respond to network disruptions, carrier changes or new security requirements without having to physically access devices deployed in the field.
In this context, G+D relies on open standards, interoperable security architectures, and European technology components. By integrating post-quantum cryptography into connectivity solutions, G+D supports the transition to future cryptographic standards and helps safeguard critical infrastructure against new threats in the long term.
“Critical infrastructure must be able to communicate securely and reliably, even under exceptional conditions. Our eSIM and iSIM technologies provide the foundation for this: they secure digital identities and enable resilient, seamless connectivity across different communication networks, from 4G and 5G to non-terrestrial networks. Together with our partners in the CIRES project, we are building the foundations for post-quantum-secure security architectures, helping to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty and future resilience,” says Bernd Müller, Head of Technology & Innovation at G+D Mobile Security.
The technologies developed in the project will be validated through several demonstrators under real-world conditions. Potential applications include drone-based infrastructure inspections, smart city and smart building services, resilient digital twins for supply chains, resilient energy systems and the monitoring of digital infrastructure.
About CIRES
The CIRES (Critical Infrastructure Resilience through Edge Computing) research project aims to strengthen Europe’s resilience and technological sovereignty in critical sectors such as energy and digital infrastructure. The project focuses on developing an end-to-end technology stack for decentralized edge computing, including embedded AI, secure communication, time-critical synchronization and sovereign supply chains. By integrating these technologies into mission-critical systems, CIRES directly supports the objectives of the European Chips Act. The project is funded by the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) under Grant Agreement No. 101253052 and by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under Funding Agreement No. 16MEE1145K. The project is co-funded by the European Union.
About Giesecke+Devrient
Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) is a global SecurityTech company headquartered in Munich, Germany. G+D makes the lives of billions of people more secure. The company shapes trust in the digital age, with built-in security technology in three segments: Digital Security, Financial Platforms and Currency Technology.
G+D was founded in 1852 and today has a workforce of more than 14,500 employees. In the fiscal year 2025, the company generated a turnover of 3.2 billion euros. G+D is represented by 118 subsidiaries and joint ventures in 41 countries. Further information: www.gi-de.com.
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