Microsemi and Athena Introduce the TeraFire Hard Cryptographic Microprocessor with Advanced Security Features

Microsemi, a leading provider of semiconductor solutions, and The Athena Group Inc. (Athena), a leading provider of security, cryptography, anti-tamper and signal processing intellectual property (IP) cores, have announced the release of Athena’s TeraFire cryptographic microprocessor as a new part of Microsemi’s PolarFire field programmable gate array (FPGA) “S class” family. Claimed as the most advanced cryptographic technology, theTeraFire hardcore offers access to advanced security features along with high performance and low power consumption. 

 

The need for increased cyber security has been realized across the industry, especially through the communications, defense, and industrial markets. The TeraFire cryptographic microprocessor technology caters to all these requirements. It offers a comprehensive selection of the most commonly used cryptographic algorithms ranging from the ones allowed for military/govt use by the U.S. National Institute of Standard and Technology’s Suite B, to the ones recommended by the U.S. Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite. 

 

 

Microsemi’s highly secure cost optimised PolarFire FPGAs provide industry’s lowest power at mid-range densities with 12.7 Gbps Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) transceivers, as well as highly reliable applications, such as the smart connected factory, functional safety, secure communications, and weaponry. 

 

On the other hand, the microprocessor also supports additional algorithms and key sizes commonly used in commercial internet communications protocols such as TLS, IPSec, MACSec, and KeySec. It has better built-in cryptographic abilities than other SRAM-based FPGAs and is quite popular among both defense and commercial customers for its flexibility and efficiency. 

 

 

• The Athena TeraFire EXP-5200B DPA-resistant cryptographic microprocessor is capable of nearly 200MHz operation, implementing all Suite B, CNSA, and additional widely used algorithms.

 

• It has NIST CAVP-certified implementations of the most widely used cryptographic algorithms, modes and key sizes including AES-GCM, SHA-2 and four types of digital signatures.

 

• Integrated true random number generator for generating keys on-chip and for protecting cryptographic protocols against replay and other attacks using fresh random nonces and initialization vectors.

 

• The TeraFire crypto microprocessor for data security and anti-tamper applications enables high-speed DPA-resistant cryptographic protocols at speeds well over 100 megabits per second.

 

• The TeraFire crypto microprocessor is extensible with additional object code licensed from Athena or with accelerators attached to it via the PolarFire FPGA fabric, for Suite A algorithm support or even higher performance.

 

 

Microsemi’s PolarFire “S class” FPGAs with Athena’s TeraFire cryptographic microprocessor will be available by the end of the second quarter of 2017. Besides, a soft version of this core is also available for Microsemi’s SmartFusion2 SoC FPGAs.

 

 

Microsemi Corporation offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world’s standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. 

 

 

Athena is a leading provider of security, cryptography, anti-tamper, and signal processing IP cores to many of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, defense contractors, and OEMs, as well as emerging providers. Embedded in millions of ASIC and FPGA devices, Athena technologies enable high-value solutions where security and performance are mission critical ─ defense and aerospace, vehicle safety (V2V, V2X, telematics), networking and communications, satellites, cellular base stations, handsets, the Internet of Things (IoT), and more.

 

Athena’s innovative and experienced team architects best-in-class products: security microprocessors with unmatched hardware efficiency and programmable flexibility, dedicated accelerators for cryptography and security protocols, a comprehensive set of tamper-resistant security cores with SCA/DPA countermeasures developed under a Developer agreement with Rambus’ Cryptography Research division, highly optimized FFTs and signal processing cores for communications applications, and related technologies.