Comparison
QNSP vs Fortanix DSM
An honest, code-grounded side-by-side. Every row in the table is backed by a verifiable public source — fortanix.com pages, BusinessWire announcements, AWS Marketplace listings, or QNSP source files at github.com/cuilabs/qnsp-public. Where Fortanix has not publicly documented a capability, we say that explicitly rather than asserting they don't have it.
Fortanix DSM is a mature HSM+KMS platform with a ten-year track record and real enterprise customers. QNSP and Fortanix overlap on KMS, vault, and crypto-policy functions; they diverge sharply on public PQC algorithm coverage, dual-provider verification, multi-cloud crypto posture, pricing transparency, and APAC regulatory framework coverage. Use the table below to map your evaluation criteria.
Side by side
Twelve categories that matter to a PQC platform buyer
| Category | QNSP | Fortanix DSM |
|---|---|---|
| Public PQC algorithm coverage | 90 algorithms across 14 PQC families (27 KEMs + 63 signatures). ML-KEM, ML-DSA, SLH-DSA, FN-DSA / Falcon, HQC, BIKE, Classic McEliece, FrodoKEM, NTRU, NTRU-Prime, MAYO, CROSS, UOV, SNOVA. Independently reproducible from the public mirror at github.com/cuilabs/qnsp-public. | 4 publicly listed: ML-KEM (FIPS 203), ML-DSA (FIPS 204), LMS, XMSS (both NIST SP 800-208 stateful hash-based). FN-DSA / Falcon, SLH-DSA, HQC, BIKE, Classic McEliece, MAYO, CROSS, UOV, SNOVA, NTRU not listed on the public Fortanix PQC page. Source: fortanix.com/solutions/use-case/post-quantum-cryptography. |
| Multi-source quantum entropy | Hardware entropy sourced from integrated FIPS 140-3 Level 3 HSM partners (AWS CloudHSM, Azure Managed HSM, Thales Luna, etc.) via the BYOH PKCS#11 channel on Maximum and Government policy tiers. | Announced March 11 2026: multi-sourced quantum entropy via Qrypt and Quantum Dice partnerships integrated into DSM. Source: businesswire.com 2026-03-11 + helpnetsecurity.com 2026-03-11. This is a legitimate Fortanix strength worth acknowledging. |
| Dual-provider cross-verification | On Maximum and Government policy tiers, every crypto operation is signed by one provider (liboqs, native C) and verified by another (noble, pure JS) — 18 NIST-finalised algorithms overlap. Single-implementation bug = caught at runtime. Provider attestation in the audit ledger. | Not publicly documented on fortanix.com. We are not asserting Fortanix lacks this capability internally — only that an equivalent dual-provider runtime verification model has not been published. |
| Enforceable crypto-policy tiers | Four hard-enforced tiers (default / strict / maximum / government) with per-tier algorithm allow-lists enforced at the edge gateway, KMS, and vault. Government tier enforces FIPS-finalized-only (FIPS 203/204/205), no draft standards, HSM-protected root keys. A tenant cannot accidentally downgrade. | Fortanix markets 'crypto-agility' as flexible algorithm configuration. A per-tenant policy-tier enforcement model (with hard guardrails) is not documented on the public DSM platform page. Source: fortanix.com/platform/data-security-manager. |
| HSM model + FIPS validation | QNSP-managed FIPS 140-3 Level 3 path; BYOH integration across 8 vendors via PKCS#11 (AWS CloudHSM, Azure Dedicated, Thales Luna, Entrust nShield, Utimaco CryptoServer, Marvell LiquidHSM, Fortanix DSM, HashiCorp Vault HSM). Optional M-of-N Shamir key escrow. | Fortanix DSM hardware is FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated (per fortanix.com/platform/data-security-manager and trust-center). FIPS 140-3 not publicly claimed on the platform page. AWS KMS XKS + Google EKM external-key-store integration shipped; customer-managed HSM as a backing store for DSM is not publicly documented. |
| Multi-cloud crypto posture | 11 cloud-vendor connectors out from QNSP to AWS, Azure, GCP, Alibaba, Akamai, Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Fastly, IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and HashiCorp Vault. CycloneDX CBOM, NIST PQC readiness scoring, automated migration plans across the entire estate. | DSM operates as the external key store for AWS KMS XKS and Google EKM. A unified multi-cloud crypto-posture inventory across 11 providers (the QNSP scope) is not publicly documented as a Fortanix capability. |
| Confidential compute / enclaves | Enclave AI orchestration with hardware attestation across Intel SGX, AMD SEV, AWS Nitro. PQC-attested inference, training, and fine-tuning. GPU enclave capacity for sovereign AI workloads (sales-assisted). | Confidential Computing Manager supports Intel TDX, AMD SEV-SNP, NVIDIA Hopper and Blackwell GPUs. AWS Nitro and Intel SGX not listed on fortanix.com/products/confidential-computing-manager. Both products are real and mature — different hardware coverage maps to different deployment patterns. |
| Compliance frameworks | Seven frameworks mapped at the control level: SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS v4.0.1, GDPR, PDPA (Singapore), MAS TRM. Real-time control evaluation from live service-health probes — not retrospective questionnaires. | Trust Center lists: SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, FIPS 140-2, CIS. PDPA (Singapore) and MAS TRM are NOT listed as Fortanix certifications. Per fortanix.com/trust-center. |
| APAC regulatory home | Singapore-HQ. Built for regulated FSI and government workloads in MAS / PDPA jurisdictions from day one. PDPA + MAS TRM mapped at the control level. | HQ: Santa Clara, California. Singapore office exists (T30 Cecil St #19-08). APAC sales presence is real, but the product is not natively MAS-TRM or PDPA mapped per the public Trust Center. |
| Pricing model | Transparent self-serve ladder: $0 free forever (10 GB + 50K API calls), $99 dev-starter, $450 dev-pro, $1,499 business-team, up to $5,999 business-elite, plus enterprise tiers. No credit card for free tier. | Enterprise sales only. AWS Marketplace DSM SaaS listing is Private Offer (contact Alliances@fortanix.com). No public pricing page, no public free tier, no self-serve signup. Sources: aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-f7fv2hng7okkg, fortanix.com. |
| Open + auditable | Full public SDK + integration mirror at github.com/cuilabs/qnsp-public. SDKs in 4 languages on public registries (npm, PyPI, pkg.go.dev, crates.io). Every claim above is independently reproducible. | Public GitHub at github.com/fortanix has SDK clients (sdkms-client-go, rust-sgx, sq-dsm) and a Kubernetes plugin. No comprehensive public mirror of the full platform equivalent to QNSP's qnsp-public repo. |
| Funding + scale | Singapore-based startup, public benchmarks + transparent SDK mirror. Built in 2025 with the explicit goal of being the auditable PQC platform. | ~$135M total raised (latest disclosed: $90M Series C, Aug 2022, led by Goldman Sachs AM). Investors include In-Q-Tel, Intel Capital, Foundation Capital. ~215 employees (Tracxn, Jan 2026). 125+ global customers (self-reported). Source: crunchbase.com/organization/fortanix. |
When to pick which
Honest decision guide
Pick Fortanix if…
- You already operate Fortanix DSM and want the incremental quantum-entropy + Confidential Computing Manager story for AI workloads.
- You need FIPS 140-2 L3 hardware on premises today and your auditor accepts FIPS 140-2 (not 140-3 path).
- You're in a deal where Fortanix's $135M+ funding history and customer references are the deciding factor over technical feature breadth.
Pick QNSP if…
- You need NIST PQC algorithm coverage beyond ML-KEM + ML-DSA — particularly code-based (McEliece, BIKE, HQC) or hash-based (SLH-DSA) fallbacks for regulators with algorithmic diversity mandates.
- You operate in MAS-regulated FSI or under PDPA-binding workloads and want a vendor with those frameworks mapped at the control level natively.
- You want transparent self-serve pricing, a free tier, and the ability to evaluate without a sales call.
- Dual-provider cross-verification is a procurement requirement (cryptographic defence-in-depth).
Run them side-by-side if…
- Fortanix DSM is your existing HSM/KMS layer — QNSP integrates DSM as one of 8 BYOH backends via PKCS#11.
- You want Fortanix's Confidential Computing Manager for one workload class and QNSP's broader PQC platform for another — the two products live at different layers and don't fight.
Verify the QNSP claims
Every claim on this page is independently reproducible
QNSP's algorithm registry, policy tiers, cross-verification logic, and tier limits are all published in the public mirror at github.com/cuilabs/qnsp-public. The Fortanix claims on this page link to fortanix.com primary pages or named third-party reports. If anything is wrong or outdated, email qnsp-legal@cuilabs.io — we'll re-verify and correct.