STMicroelectronics Unveils ST54M Secure Mobile Chip with Post-Quantum Cryptography - thelec.net
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The ST54M secure mobile chip. (Photo: STMicroelectronics blog) European semiconductor company STMicroelectronics (ST) unveiled its ST54M secure mobile chip with a built-in hardware accelerator for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) on June 24. The chip is designed to help mobile devices prepare for future quantum computing threats. The ST54M integrates near-field communication (NFC), a secure element (SE), an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM), and a PQC hardware accelerator into a single chip die. It is designed to handle security functions such as payments, identity authentication, and mobile subscriber authentication in personal electronic devices, including smartphones and digital car keys. As sufficiently powerful quantum computers emerge in the future, some of today's widely used public-key cryptographic algorithms could become vulnerable. Payment credentials, digital identities, and digital car keys stored on mobile devices will also need protection against such threats. PQC is a next-generation cryptographic technology designed to remain secure even against attacks by quantum computers. ST54M addresses this transition by integrating a dedicated hardware accelerator for PQC operations directly into the chip. The ST54M supports the Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM) and the Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA). ML-KEM enables two devices to establish a shared secret key over a public communication channel, while ML-DSA verifies that electronic documents and messages have not been forged or altered. Both algorithms are based on lattice-based mathematical problems. The hardware accelerator is also designed to defend against side-channel attacks and fault-injection attacks. Side-channel attacks attempt to infer confidential information by analyzing characteristics such as power consumption, processing time, or electromagnetic emissions from a chip. Fault-injection attacks intentionally induce errors in chip operation to extract sensitive security information. ST is currently providing ST54M samples to customers. The company is targeting completion of Common Criteria (CC) 2022 certification under the European Union Cybersecurity Certification Scheme (EUCC) and EMVCo certification next month. Mass production is also scheduled to begin next month. Minseob Lee newstart@thelec.kr View other news Copyright © The Elec Inc.