It's your code; protect it with TI's new embedded processors

DALLAS, USA: Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) is offering its customers added protection against unauthorized reading of intellectual property (IP) and sensitive data in its TMS320C6748 digital signal processors (DSPs) and OMAP-L138 DSP + ARM processors. These processors are part of the TI's C6000 DSP and C6-Integra DSP + ARM product platforms.

The two areas of protection include:
* Secure boot capability prevents external entities from modifying customer-developed algorithms to stop unauthorized users from misusing the customer's system and its operation by preventing insertion of malware, reverse engineering and system cloning.
Multi-layer encryption offers the ability to upgrade boot and application software code remotely on flash memory while allowing the boot sequence to remain secure.

* Multi-layer encryption is enabled when a device-specific cipher key, known only to the device, is used to protect customer encryption keys. When an update is needed, the customer creates a new encrypted image using its encryption keys. Then the device can acquire the image wirelessly and overwrite the existing code.

Examples of applications that would benefit from the secure boot and secure field upgrade feature include medical patient monitors that utilize proprietary, certified algorithms and software-defined radios (SDRs) to ensure communication isn't compromised if the radios fall into the wrong hands.

"Software is a key differentiator for companies to be competitive in their markets; however, it is also their leading cost factor," said Joy Ji, OMAP-L1x DSP + ARM product marketing manager, TI. "TI's newly enhanced processors enable customers to protect those investments, which is why TI is integrating secure boot on our industry-leading processors. This hardware-based security system allows our customers more robust IP protection than typical software-based solutions."

For applications requiring manufacturing facilities that support secure-boot technology, Logic PD, a member of TI's Elite Design House Network, provides design services, turnkey design through manufacturing and manufacturing facilities that support the secure-boot technology implementation at its US-based, ITAR- and ISO 13485-compliant manufacturing sites.

TI also offers a wide variety of complementary power management solutions to ease the power supply design and maximize power savings in C6748 DSPs and OMAP-L138 DSP + ARM processors.