April 26, 2024 at 08:30AM
A consortium of top chip makers has finalized the Caliptra 1.0 specification, integrating zero-trust security features directly into silicon. This allows for multiple layers of protection for encrypted data on chips, addressing vulnerabilities like Meltdown and Spectre. The open-source technology is being developed by companies including Google, AMD, Microsoft, and NVIDIA.
Based on the meeting notes, here are the key takeaways:
1. The Caliptra 1.0 specification, developed by a consortium of top chip makers, aims to embed zero-trust security features directly inside silicon, with the initial chips expected to enter the market in 2026.
2. Caliptra introduces hardware and software blocks to provide multiple protection layers for encrypted data on chips, aiming to eliminate the need for separate security components on the hardware.
3. The specification is designed around the concept of confidential computing, focusing on protecting data and programs during storage, transport, and execution, and aiming to prevent vulnerabilities such as Meltdown and Spectre.
4. The root-of-trust block in Caliptra isolates, verifies, and authenticates code, users, and firmware, while also including features to detect and recover corrupted data.
5. Caliptra is an open source technology, allowing chip makers to adopt and modify it for free, and companies like Antmicro are already developing Caliptra-based security cores for emerging chip architectures.
6. Google is a lead developer of Caliptra, working with Advanced Micro Devices, Microsoft, Marvell, NVIDIA, and the Linux Foundation’s CHIPS Alliance, while Intel is notably absent from the group of companies involved in the development.
These clear takeaways from the meeting notes highlight the key developments, goals, and players involved in the Caliptra 1.0 specification and its potential impact on the chip industry.