ICs & Semiconductors Archives - Page 113 of 235

Gen 4 PCIe switches for automotives are first in market, says Microchip

Tue, Feb 22, 2022

Able to deliver low latency and low power for autonomous driving ecosystems, the Switchtec PFX, PSX and PAX Gen 4 PCIe switches are the first in the market, says Microchip. High speed, low latency connectivity for distributed, heterogenous compute systems are a fundamental element in next-generation autonomous driving applications, said the company.

The Switchtec PFX, PSX, and PAX switches provide compute interconnect capabilities for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

“Our automotive-qualified portfolio of Switchtec Gen 4 switches provides the lowest latency and high bandwidth required to link the CPU and accelerator building blocks used in ADAS applications,” said Krishna Mallampati, associate director of marketing and applications for Microchip’s data centre business unit.

Switchtec Gen 4 PCIe switches provide the high speed interconnect that supports distributed, real time, safety critical data processing in ADAS architectures. As is the case for PCIe’s adoption in the data centre market, it is emerging as the preferred compute interconnect for the automotive industry where it provides low latency and low power bandwidth scalability to CPUs and specialised accelerator devices.

The GPU and computing giant, Nvidia is using the switches in its Drive platform. “The qualification of Microchip’s solutions to meet the stringent needs of the automotive market is a significant milestone, and one Nvidia closely collaborated on,” said Michael Truog, senior director of Automotive Platform Architecture at Nvidia. “Microchip’s automotive PCIe switches deliver flexibility and advanced programmability, enabling high speed SoC and GPU connectivity within our Nvidia Drive platform,” he added.

The Switchtec automotive-qualified Gen 4 PCIe switches are available in production. Microchip’s ChipLink diagnostic graphical user interface (GUI) provides debug, diagnostics, configuration and forensics tools for rapid deployment.

Microchip Technology provides smart, connected and secure embedded control solutions. development tools and comprehensive product portfolio enable customers to create optimal designs which reduce risk while lowering total system cost and time to market. The company’s products serve customers across the industrial, automotive, consumer, aerospace and defence, communications and computing markets.

http://www.microchip.com

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Optiga TPM future-proofs security with PQC-protected firmware update

Wed, Feb 16, 2022

Addressing the challenges of quantum computing, namely cybersecurity, specifically on the confidentiality of encrypted data and on the integrity of digital signatures, Infineon Technologies has developed the Optiga TPM (trusted platform module) SLB 9672. It says it is a future-proof security solution with a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) protected firmware update mechanism using XMSS signatures.

The PQC mechanism counteracts the threat of firmware corruption by attackers with access to quantum computers and increases long term survivability of the device by enabling a quantum-resistant firmware upgrade path. The standardised TPM provides a foundation for securely establishing the identity and software status of PCs, servers and connected devices, and for protecting the integrity and confidentiality of data at rest and in transit.

Infineon’s latest member of the Optiga TPM family is also claimed to be the industry’s first TPM to offer a firmware update mechanism with a 256-bits key length, along with an additional check based on PQC. This mechanism allows the Optiga TPM SLB 9672 to still be updated even if the standard algorithms are no longer trusted. The design is engineered for improved computing performance and to counteract the effects of corrupted firmware. For example, built-in, fail-safe features enable TPM firmware recovery in accordance with the NIST SP 800-193 Platform Firmware Resiliency Guidelines.

The TPM also provides an expanded non-volatile memory to store new features such as additional certificates and cryptographic keys. Security evaluation and certification are performed by independent bodies according to the Common Criteria and FIPS requirements. The TPM also fully complies with the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) requirements (TPM 2.0 standard version 1.59) and is certified according to the latest TPM 2.0 standard.

The standardised trust base is accompanied by tools to support design activities (e.g., software and demo boards), this TPM enables easy integration with host software. It also supports the latest versions of Windows and Linux.

The chip has an extended temperature range of -40 to +105 degrees C.

Infineon is committed to the long-term availability of Optiga TPM SLB 9672 for a minimum of 10 years and offers tailored support and maintenance through the Infineon Security Partner Network (ISPN).

The Optiga TPM SLB 9672 is available to order now.

http://www.infineon.com

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Offline switcher IC reduces BoM for bias power supplies

Thu, Feb 10, 2022

A universal AC high voltage input, non-isolated offline switcher IC from Diodes addresses the challenges associated with using a bias power supply. The AP3928 switcher IC is optimised for situations where higher power levels are mandated, such as in industrial control or home automation systems, home appliances, and IoT devices.

The AP3928 has a 600mA maximum output current that allows for a 10W output power rating. A key differentiator of this high voltage switcher IC is that it supports conventional offline, non-isolated flyback configurations, as well as more streamlined non-isolated buck configurations, keeping the bill of materials (BoM) spend to a minimum, claimed Diodes.

Peak current and switching frequency will continuously reduce as the load decreases, meaning that the IC can achieve heightened degrees of efficiency in light load conditions and is therefore suitable for use in equipment that spends prolonged time in sleep mode.

The AP3928’s low standby power of less than 30mW is suitable for small domestic appliances and IoT devices, where it is important to conserve available battery power.

The AP3928 switcher IC is supplied in a compact SO-8 package. It meets high voltage creepage requirements and can support operational junction temperatures up to +150 degrees C. Over-temperature, output short, overload and open-loop protection functions are included and there is also under-voltage lockout.

Diodes is a Standard and Poor SmallCap 600 and Russell 3000 Index company. It delivers semiconductor products to companies in the consumer electronics, computing, communications, industrial, and automotive markets. Its portfolio includes discrete, analogue and mixed-signal products and packaging technology. The company has 31 sites around the world, including engineering, testing, manufacturing, and customer service.

http://www.diodes.com

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NFC IC provides security tamper detection for IoT applications

Wed, Feb 09, 2022

Certified security is combined with a tamper status detection mechanism and battery-free sensing in the NTAG 22x DNA StatusDetect IC family by NXP. The ICs measure a change in ambient conditions, such as moisture, liquid fill level or pressure and allow developers to combine secure authentication with opening status detection or condition monitoring of products to help maintain a secure supply chain and product integrity.

Physical products can be authenticated by leveraging the NTAG 22x DNA IC’s secure unique NFC (SUN) authentication message feature. This allows manufacturers to cost-effectively combat counterfeits and supply chain fraud, said NXP.

The electronic tamper status detection of the ICs enables manufacturers or product users to verify a product’s unauthorised opening. By measuring capacitive changes in an item’s environmental conditions such as moisture, pressure or fill level, upon a simple tag readout, it is also possible to ensure product quality remains intact or capture digital sensing data for healthcare, retail or industrial applications.

According to NXP, the inclusion of security-certified NFC sensing turns a tag into a simple battery-less sensing device to detect a physical product’s first opening status, or a change in its specific ambient condition. It can help manufacturers protect product integrity, whilst enabling a new level of intelligence to assure product quality

The NTAG 22x DNA family is Common Criteria EAL3+ -certified, and features a powerful, cryptographically secure authentication message that dynamically changes on every NFC phone tap, making the taps unclonable, without requiring a user application.

The NTAG 22x DNA StatusDetect also includes configurable conductive or capacitive tamper detection, with once-open status irreversibly stored and protected in the IC memory without the need for a dedicated app. The conductive mode is suitable for tamper-evident labels and seals fixed on to a product or its package. The capacitive mode is suitable to integrate the tag into a physical product, and is also harder to reconstruct by a fraudster, said NXP.

The StatusDetect ICs can also be used as a passive sensing device to detect an environmental change influencing the capacitance value, interpreted with a mobile or cloud-based application. This facility allows new applications for medical IoT devices, such as a plaster that can detect moisture levels for wound care, fill level sensing for smart injectable dosage devices. It can also be used for consumer products as refill reminders based on package fill levels and leak detection.

Security features include a 7byte identifier, a SUN message authentication using an AES-128 key and has user memory protected with 32-bit password or with mutual authentication with AES-128 key.

The StatusDetect devices have capacitive measurement with up to 64 granular steps and automated mirroring of UID, NFC counter and status value into IC’s user memory as part of NFC-NDEF message, secured with a SUN message code.

The ICs are available in sawn and bumped wafer format (120 and 75 micron) and with an internal tuning capacitance of 50pF.

http://www.nxp.com

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Gen 4 PCIe switches for automotives are first in market, says Microchip

Optiga TPM future-proofs security with PQC-protected firmware update

Offline switcher IC reduces BoM for bias power supplies

NFC IC provides security tamper detection for IoT applications

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