The programme will support the development of integrated circuit hardware and workflow prototypes that incorporate Synopsys' assured design and manufacturing flows into Microsoft Azure.
"Rapid, secure and assured prototypes are a critical need for modern systems," explained Deirdre Hanford, chief security officer at Synopsys. "Synopsys is committed to delivering design and manufacturing solutions that enable development of systems created with security in mind which are needed for the next generation of critical infrastructure, including autonomous vehicles, 5G network equipment, edge AI platforms and hyperscale computing."
The RAMP program aims to bring commercial innovation capabilities and speed to the development of semiconductors for government systems. Synopsys said that is would be expanding its existing digital and analogue design and verification solutions, along with its design services expertise, to enable trust and assurance throughout the silicon lifecycle. This combination makes it possible to develop security at all phases of a system's life: during design, manufacturing and operation.
"Through this integration on the RAMP programme, Synopsys' design, verification and silicon IP solutions will be available in Microsoft Azure," said Mujtaba Hamid, Head of Silicon & Electronics Industry, Microsoft. "This will allow designers to securely build state-of-the-art silicon devices in a confidential cloud environment."
Synopsys is partnering with the US Government to help secure integrated circuit devices and the integrated circuit design environment. As part of DARPA's Automatic Implementation of Secure Silicon (AISS) programme, Synopsys will supply a tool flow and IP repository that helps designers create integrated circuit components with further resistance to attacks.
The Department of Defense's (DoD) RAMP programme will supply an assured design environment available in the cloud while supporting quantifiable assurance methods. The combination of these two programmes will enable measurable confidentiality and integrity of commercial and DoD designs developed in a high integrity cloud environment.
