FPGAs secure intellectual property investment

An easy-to-implement Stratix II design security solution uses AES along with a 128bit nonvolatile key, and is ideal for applications requiring design flexibility and protection.

Intellectual property (IP) protection has become a primary challenge in today's highly competitive commercial environment, as well as in government and military applications, which have an inherent need for elevated security.

In response, Altera Corp has developed a comprehensive Stratix II FPGA design security solution to protect IP.

The easy-to-implement Stratix II design security solution uses advanced encryption standard (AES) along with a 128bit nonvolatile key, and is ideal for applications requiring design flexibility and protection.

As FPGAs advance in density, functionality and performance with each new process generation, designers are increasingly using them to perform critical system functions that were traditionally filled by ASICs or ASSPs.

The Stratix II design security solution offers benefits for a number of applications and market environments.

In areas where IP laws are not well enforced, the Stratix II design security feature enables IP protection, resulting in increased revenue retention.

The Stratix II design security solution allows different security keys to be programmed into different Stratix II devices, enabling product version control and customisation.

The ability to encrypt configuration files in Stratix II FPGAs ensures royalty income for IP vendors, since they can track exact IP usage.

The tampering protection of the Stratix II design security solution prevents undesired modification of gaming machines.

The Stratix II design security solution allows military customers to protect core technology and information, and prevent tampering.

ASSP vendors can test market and adapt the functionality in their ASSPs via Stratix II FPGAs while protecting their IP.

"The nonvolatile security provided by Stratix II FPGAs, as well as HardCopy structured ASICs, allows us to deliver solutions that offer the security and cost effectiveness of ASSPs and the time to market and flexibility of programmable logic", said Peter Viereck, CEO of Tpack.

"Because Stratix II FPGAs combine AES with industry-leading performance and density, we can offer comprehensive Ethernet/MPLS and Ethernet-over-Sonet/SDH solutions that meet the most rigorous requirements".

Stratix II and Stratix II GX devices are the industry's first FPGAs to support configuration bitstream encryption using the 128bit AES and a nonvolatile key.

Selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and adopted by the US Government to protect sensitive information, AES is the most advanced encryption algorithm available today.

A user-defined AES key can be programmed into the 128bit nonvolatile key stored in Stratix II devices.

The same key is used by Quartus II design software to generate an encrypted configuration file stored in an external memory or configuration device.

At power up, the memory or configuration device sends the encrypted configuration file to the FPGA and the device then uses the stored key to decrypt the file and configure itself.

This Stratix II AES implementation is FIPS197 certified.

A comprehensive design security solution for Stratix II GX will be available in the third quarter of 2006.

Designers can easily implement the design security solution, which includes application notes and various onboard and offboard key programming methods, to suit different manufacturing flows.

They can select from an EthernetBlaster cable, JTAG Technologies' in-system programming tools, System General's socket programming equipment, in-circuit testers and key programming services offered by major Altera distributors.

"Stratix II series FPGAs are the industry's only high-performance FPGAs supporting nonvolatile design security", said David Greenfield, Altera's Senior Director of Product Marketing for high-end FPGAs.

"Stratix II FPGAs deliver a secure approach that protects proprietary designs and IP using bitstream encryption, providing clear differentiation for customers looking to protect their IP investment".

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