Microchip SST and Inside Secure Enter Design Partnership

Wholly-owned subsidiary of Microchip, Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. (SST) and INSIDE Secure have entered into a design partnership agreement to utilize third-generation SuperFlash embedded flash memory technology (ESF3).

Through this agreement, INSIDE Secure will work in partnership with SST to design and introduce numerous nonvolatile flash memory macrocells based on the proprietary SST split-gate flash memory cell as part of the technology migration for future INSIDE secure microcontrollers products.

"Our third-generation SuperFlash embedded flash technology offers a superior, affordable and off-the-shelf solution that is very attractive to companies like INSIDE Secure who are producing advanced microcontrollers," said Chris Brown, manager of IP and technology licensing for SST Europe. "We have been very impressed by the knowledge and experience of the INSIDE Secure design team, and through this partnership I believe we will see the development of some exciting, breakthrough products."

The high endurance capability of the third-generation SST SuperFlash technology – across a wide temperature range – provides a compact and robust embedded flash memory solution for INSIDE’s secure microcontroller product family. Utilizing the proprietary wear-leveling IP, the SuperFlash technology designed into INSIDE’s secure microcontrollers will offer an endurance capability suitable for a range of secure applications.

"We are pleased to enter into this design partnership with SST, which not only provides us with access to their highly reliable and cost-effective SuperFlash technology, but also their extensive design expertise," said Charles Walton, chief operating officer at INSIDE Secure. "As we develop our next generation of secure microcontroller products, SuperFlash technology will play an important role in ensuring their ability to deliver reliable, flexible solutions."

SST SuperFlash memory technology is the most widely licensed flash NVM technology today, and is commonly used in microcontrollers and automotive and smartcard devices. In 2009 over four billion devices worldwide were manufactured using this technology.

INSIDE Secure delivers a portfolio of contact, contactless and dual-interface products designed to meet stringent security requirements – including Common Criteria EAL5+, EMVCo, FIPS 140-2 Level 3 and Level 4, and ZKA – for developing secure applications.