Quantum Random Number Chip QRNG-2 Enters Consumer Electronics: Smart Payment Cards Achieve Physically Unpredictable Security

UK quantum security company Quantinuum released its second-generation quantum random number generator chip QRNG-2 on December 24. Compared to the first generation, QRNG-2 has shrunk from fingernail size to 3mm x 3mm x 1mm, with power consumption dropping from 5mW to 0.3mW, enabling integration into battery-powered consumer electronics for the first time.

QRNG-2 operates based on photon quantum tunneling effects: whether a photon transmits through or reflects off a barrier is a genuinely random physical process, unaffected by any algorithm or external conditions. The chip generates 16 megabits of true random numbers per second.

The first products integrating QRNG-2 are quantum-secure payment cards co-launched by Visa and Quantinuum. Each card's embedded QRNG-2 generates a fresh quantum random key for every transaction, replacing the fixed key storage in traditional payment cards. Even with physical access to the card, attackers cannot extract any predictable key information.

Visa Chief Security Officer Rajesh Patel said quantum-secure payment cards will be issued to premium customers in Europe and Asia Pacific in Q1 2029, with plans to cover 50% of all Visa users within two years.