Securing smart cards

With the market moving to 32bit applications, ARM has launched the SecurCore SC300 processor, which it believes will enable more functionality to be embedded in a smart card or SIM card, but with minimal additional silicon area. In addition, the processor can support real time handling of multiple interfaces for high speed and contactless applications, including Smart Card Web Server and Near Field Communication (NFC), the latter seen by ARM as the enabler for multi application smart cards. SecurCore SC300, based on ARM’s Cortex-M3 processor, offers 13DMIPS/mW – a key figure, according to Rob Brown, from ARM’s Security Solutions Segment marketing team. “This performance increase is down to the use of Thumb 2 – you don’t have to keep switching between the ARM and Thumb instruction sets.” The core consumes 0.1mW/MHz and requires 0.28mm2 on TSMC’s 0.13µm process. Security is an important feature. “Attacks on smart cards are always evolving,” Brown noted. “and TrustCore technology brings software protection.” ARM says it is in initial collaboration with three 'Tier 1' contactless ic vendors.