Date: 10/08/2011

Unclonabe security IP for flash-based FPGAs from Microsemi

Customers Benefit from Entire Suite of Additional Security Applications

Microsemi Corporation has made available of Intrinsic-ID's Quiddikey security intellectual property (IP) on its flash-based devices and development board including the SmartFusion customizable system-on-chip (cSoC), as well as ProASIC3, IGLOO and Fusion FPGAs.

Microsemi says Intrinsic-ID's security Quiddikey IP includes the company's patented physical unclonable function (PUF) technology, enabling an added level of security in secure government applications as well as in commercial markets including the financial, energy, automotive and mobile industries.

"Integrating Intrinsic-ID's physically unclonable function IP with our ProASIC3 and other flash FPGAs allows our customers to deliver more secure products with simpler key management requirements," said Rich Kapusta, vice president terrestrial products, SoC Products Group at Microsemi. "In addition, it allows them to accelerate the design of secure embedded products, which can provide their organizations with a competitive edge."

In embedded applications to guard secure data security solutions are given with secret key. Other solutions require loading externally generated key in on chip non-volatilenor battery-backed memory but Microsemi's Intrinsic-ID PUF technology directly extracts a unique secret key from the SoC and FPGA's silicon hardware.
This approach works like an electronic fingerprint, allowing the device to generate a secret key only when required, as a result, tampering and cloning are made extremely difficult. Attackers have nothing to find because no key is stored and the key is not present in the power down state.

"Security demands of electronic systems are undergoing a tectonic shift," said Tony Picard, vice president business development at Intrinsic-ID. "The trend to application convergence and Internet connectivity fuels the requirements to substantially raise the level of security in many electronic systems today. We're pleased to offer Microsemi and its customers solutions that meet the need for increased security requirements."

Availability: Intrinsic-ID's Quiddikey security intellectual property cores are available now.

For more information visit: www.microsemi.com/soc.