Microchip Technology (Asia General Manager and Korea Representative Byung-Don Han) has successfully completed security verification of its PolarFire® FPGA single-chip cryptographic design flow through the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, proving its stability.

Microchip announced today that the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has validated the security reliability of communications, industrial, aerospace, defense, nuclear and other systems based on its PolarFire FPGAs after reviewing devices implementing Microchip's single-chip cryptographic design flow to ensure they meet stringent requirements for device-specific resilience.

“NCSC conducted a very thorough analysis and worked with Microchip to implement the design isolation methodology for PolarFire FPGAs, ensuring users can benefit from improved resiliency and functional isolation within the device. This demonstrates Microchip’s commitment to a holistic approach to security,” said Tim Morin, technical manager for Microchip’s FPGA business unit. “NCSC’s analysis provides a single-chip encryption option that is separate from the IP protection, data security and physical tampering resistance already present in the device. “This is a powerful threat that is often overlooked across all electronic systems, especially at the intelligent edge,” he said.

PolarFire FPGAs implement Microchip's industry-leading security architecture to protect intellectual property and secure data and supply chains.

PolarFire FPGA's IP protection features include: △AES 256 encryption configuration file with SHA 256-based HMAC authentication; △Protection against Differential Power Analysis (DPA) based on Cryptography Research Incorporated (CRI) authentication technology; △Public key encryption core: Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) for secure key distribution; △Random number generator.

PolarFire FPGA's data security features include: enhanced cryptographic accelerators for use in end applications; and pass-through CRI licenses for developing CRI-certified DPA protection algorithms.

Additionally, PolarFire FPGAs' supply chain security features reduce the risk of counterfeiting, re-marking, and overproduction, and include silicon biometrics, including physically unclonable functions (PUFs), that uniquely identify and cryptographically verify each device.

These devices are supported by Microchip's Libero® SoC design suite and are available in both free and licensed versions through Microchip's purchasing services website, www.microchipdirect.com. PolarFire FPGA and SoC development kits and hardware are also available from Microchip's website.