Crypto Quantique’s quantum-driven silicon IP

Intel Pathfinder enables RISC-V cores and other IP to be evaluated in FPGAs and simulator programs before committing to the final silicon design and fabrication. The environment is supported by industry-standard toolchains.

QDID is the first security IP chosen for Intel Pathfinder. QDID is independently verified as resilient against all currently-known cyberattack mechanisms. Its analog block measures random, quantum tunnelling current in the fabric of silicon wafers to produce high-entropy, random numbers from which unique, unforgeable identities and cryptographic keys are created on-demand. These identities and keys form a root-of-trust for each device, and this is the foundation for IoT security when QDID chips are deployed.

Because QDID’s random numbers are generated within the fabric of the silicon, both key injection and the need to store cryptographic keys in memory are eliminated. This gives semiconductor users total control of their security framework and enables them to create in a zero-trust supply chain that eliminates several security vulnerabilities.

QDID is complemented by Crypto Quantique’s QuarkLink end-to-end IoT security software. The QuarkLink platform enables thousands of end point devices to be connected to on-premises or cloud servers automatically through cryptographic APIs. Via a simple graphical user interface, users can achieve secure provisioning, onboarding, security monitoring, and certificate and key renewal or revocation with just a few keystrokes.

Crypto Quantique’s CEO, Dr. Shahram Mossayebi, said, “QDID for Intel® Pathfinder RISC-V* is further validation of our technology leadership in IoT security. QDID is easily integrated into the security framework of the RISC-V architecture and, just as Intel is helping democratize chip design with its Intel Pathfinder development environment, QDID and QuarkLink are democratizing semiconductor security by making it technically and economically accessible for the broadest possible range of applications.”

“The integration of Crypto Quantique with Intel® Pathfinder demonstrates our commitment to addressing key end-user concerns like security at an early stage in the development process,” said Vijay Krishnan, General Manager, RISC-V Ventures from Intel, “thus paving the way for increased RISC-V adoption in segments like IoT.”