Technology
QIST Technology Programs
Six reference stacks spanning quantum-native security, quantum-safe connectivity, and governed autonomous runtime—documented for standards bodies, researchers, and engineering partners.
Originally engineered by CUI Labs, each stack is treated by QIST as a reference architecture and research platform for verification methods, governance models, and interoperability in a quantum-aware world.
Who this section is for
Pick the entry path that matches your role—each link opens a concrete next step on this site.
Platform & runtime engineers
AIOS, NIOS, and DDIP program pages for governed autonomy and verification.
Program catalog →Standards bodies
Reference stacks documented as research platforms, not product guarantees.
Research architecture →06
Reference programs
Each with a dedicated technical brief.
04
Stack layers
From cryptography through integration context.
Coverage model
Bars below summarize how each trust-stack layer is represented by the documented program set on this portal (documentation lens, not a maturity certification).
Evidence for the trust stack
Reference architectures, pre-standards, and technical notes that document how QIST describes security, connectivity, and runtime layers.
- Reference ArchitectureQIST-RA-2025-001Deterministic Trust Pipelines: A Reference Architecture for Auditable QIST SystemsAs Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) systems transition from research environments into operational, institutional, and saf…Open artifact →
- Pre-StandardQIST-PS-2025-001Post-Quantum Secure Channel ModelThe transition to post-quantum cryptography introduces new design constraints for secure communication channels. These constraints extend b…Open artifact →
- Technical NoteQIST-TN-2025-001QSIG Handshake Reference ArchitectureSecure communication handshakes form the foundation of trust in distributed systems. As cryptographic ecosystems transition toward post-qua…Open artifact →
Program coverage by trust-stack layer
Normalized view of how the six catalog programs span the post-quantum trust stack—useful for briefing architects and security leaders.
- L1 — Identity & cryptography (QSIG, QNSP)100
PQC-first trust anchors across workloads.
- L2 — Quantum-safe connectivity (Tunnel)96
Overlay, routing, and sovereign edge patterns.
- L3 — Runtime & verification (AIOS, NIOS, DDIP)94
Governed autonomy and deterministic evidence.
- L4 — Integration & research context88
How stacks compose in institutional programs.
Percentages describe documentation and reference coverage on qist.foundation, not deployment guarantees in any single tenant environment.
Trust stack topology
A top-down view of how QIST layers security, connectivity, runtime, and integration context. Lower layers are prerequisite for higher layers in typical sovereign and institutional deployments.
L4 · Application & integration context
Standards pilots, institutional testbeds, and sovereign deployments composing the layers below.
NIOS-class surfaces · Research integrations
L3 · Runtime & cognitive OS
Agent-native execution, frontier neural-interface research surfaces, and deterministic verification.
AIOS · NIOS · DDIP
L2 · Quantum-safe connectivity
Sovereign, verifiable networking fabric with PQC-aware transit and policy gates.
Tunnel (QSCF)
L1 · Identity & cryptographic foundations
Post-quantum primitives, hybrid paths, and multi-domain security interoperability.
QSIG · QNSP
Program surface
One card per catalog entry—open any stack for role in QIST, capabilities, and research intersections.
QSIG (Quantum Secure Interoperable Grid)
A modular, AI-native security fabric for secure, autonomous, and compliant blockchain operations across 24+ chains, integrating audit, detection, response, c…
View program →QNSP (Quantum-Native Security Platform)
An enterprise SaaS platform that applies NIST-standardized post-quantum cryptography end-to-end for AI workloads, documents, storage, and secrets under zero-…
View program →AIOS (Autonomous Interoperable Operating System)
A clean-slate, agent-first operating system where every workload is an agent, providing semantic IPC, shared memory fabric, capability-based security, and PQ…
View program →NIOS (Neural-Interface Operating System)
A frontier cognitive operating substrate positioned at the boundary of human and machine intelligence—supporting protocols for human–AI interaction, semantic…
View program →DDIP (Deterministic Development Intelligence Platform)
A deterministic intelligence platform unifying analyzers and fixers across classical, governance, and quantum domains, with governed remediation workflows fo…
View program →Tunnel (Quantum-Safe Connectivity Fabric (QSCF))
A decentralized VPN fabric with programmable tokenomics, deterministic multi-hop routing, mixnet-style padding, and telemetry pipelines for sovereign, verifi…
View program →