Google’s OpenTitan: A new open source silicon root of trust project debuts

guest · Nov 5, 2019

Google’s OpenTitan: A new open source silicon root of trust project debuts
Google wants to raise the bar for hardware security from the data center to the edge
November 5, 2019
https://www.zdnet.com/article/googl...-source-silicon-root-of-trust-project-debuts/

Google has launched OpenTitan, a project designed to peel silicon root of trust (RoT) away from vendor lock-in and into an open source development model.
A RoT is a lowest-level source within a trusted computing module that is always fully trusted by the system, serving as a foundation for critical elements in a process chain.

The initial stage of the project is the creation of a logical silicon RoT design including an open source microprocessor -- the lowRISC Ibex -- cryptographic processors, a hardware random number generator, key and memory hierarchies for both volatile and non-volatile storage, defensive mechanisms, IO peripherals, and secure boot processes.

"Current silicon roots of trust are highly proprietary and they claim security but you really have to take that as a leap of faith and you can't verify it for yourself," Rizzo says. "For the first time, you can establish trustworthiness without the blind trust required of proprietary root of trust designs. So the foundation isn't just strong, its inspectable."
Click to expand...

OpenTitan should not be considered a finished product by any means; rather, by opening up OpenTitan mid-development, it is hoped that additional partners will sign up, inspect, contribute to, and continue to improve the design.

"We're taking the most valuable data, protecting it with the most secure hardware, and letting you -- and our customers -- inspect the design down to the core," Rizzo says.

The OpenTitan repository is now available on GitHub. Interested implementation partners will undergo a certification process, and the OpenTitan team will provide integration guidelines for vendor and platform partners.
Click to expand...

Google: Titan in depth: Security in plaintext

Wired: Google Is Helping Design an Open Source, Ultra-Secure Chip

OpenTitan is loosely based on a proprietary root of trust chip that Google already uses in its Pixel 3 and 4 phones.
It also remains to be seen whether anyone will actually manufacture them. But manufacturers in search of a secure root of trust could find both security and economic benefits in OpenTitan.

And OpenTitan faces competition from heavy hitters like Microsoft, which recently announced its own proprietary hardware to bypass firmware in establishing a secure root of trust.
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

Google’s OpenTitan: A new open source silicon root of trust project debuts

guest Guest

Log in or Sign up

Google’s OpenTitan: A new open source silicon root of trust project debuts

guest Guest

Useful Searches