Secure Chips & Microcontrollers

In the digital world, secure hardware anchors, known as hardware roots of trust, are crucial for protecting sensitive data and information from sophisticated physical and digital attacks by hackers. This data and information includes keys, certificates, access authorisations, credit balances and other highly critical data.

They provide a controlled execution environment for security functions and thus ensure the security and trustworthiness of digital systems, especially in critical infrastructures and applications that have high security requirements.

This requires tested, certified hardware and software solutions that require the seamless integration of security functions in the device architecture - the central technology here is secure elements (SEs) and secure microcontrollers.

IT devices, sensitive data and applications, such as cryptographic processes, are protected at the lowest level by physical components known as secure elements (SEs).

SEs are a further development of traditional chips in smartcards, which have been adapted to the requirements of a digitalised world in the form factors SIM or intelligent MicroSD. Today, they are often already permanently implemented in the device as an embedded or integrated solution (eSIM, eUICC, iSIM).

Highly secure secure elements are typically used in payment cards, health cards, ID cards, mobile phones, set-top boxes and connected cars. These components, also known as hardware anchors, offer a higher level of security and can ward off attacks by malicious actors in a more targeted manner.

Secure microcontrollers play a crucial role in the Internet of Things by ensuring that networked devices communicate securely with each other and that data is protected from unauthorised access. Whether smart home devices, public transport e-tickets or wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, they all utilise secure microcontrollers to provide security mechanisms such as secure boot processes, TrustZones and other security mechanisms to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of applications.

Secure microcontrollers are supplied in different form factors to suit specific needs and requirements. The forms are standard IC, module, boards, cards, USB sticks or secure enclaves.