EU project targets high security ID card
Infineon and NXP, along with chip card maker Giesecke & Devrient, are among 11 companies participating in BioP@ss, aEuropean research project aiming to develop a high security chip card platform.
Said to be the biggest chip card research project in the EU, BioP@ass aims to undertake the technical work necessary to allow the introduction of an electronic ID card in chip card format valid throughout the entire EU.
The two semiconductor companies are working on refining encryption technologies for chips and enhancing the data transfer rates between chip card and reader. G&D, meanwhile, is developing an innovative chip card operating system. Using conventional internet protocols such as TCP/IP, the chip cards will be compatible with internet pcs without the need for additional software. The connection between the chip card and the PC can either be wireless or via a USB interface.
BioP@ss, which is planned for completion by the end of June 2011, has a budget of €13million.
