Microsemi announces availability of Intrinsic-ID's security IP on its flash-based cSoCs, FPGAs and development boards

IRVINE, USA: Microsemi Corp. announced the immediate availability 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.

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 ProASIC®3 and other flash FPGAs allows our customers to deliver more secure products with simpler key management requirements," said Rich Kapusta, VP 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."

Security solutions for embedded applications rely on a secret key to guard secure data. Intrinsic-ID's PUF technology extracts a unique secret key directly from the cSoC and FPGA's silicon hardware, as opposed to other solutions that require loading an externally generated key in on-chip non-volatile or battery-backed memory.

This unique 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, VP 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."