SiFive Secures RISC-V

摘要

Security features are now table stakes for microcontrollers, but RISC-V has too few chips to play. At the recent Linley Fall Processor Conference, SiFive disclosed its secure-platform architecture, which includes hardware and software as well as provisioning services. The company announced specific features available now across its core line, and it disclosed a roadmap for additional capabilities, most of which it plans to release in 2020. The SiFive Shield umbrella brand encompasses hardware root of trust, cryptographic intellectual property (IP), and memory-protection features, as well as software drivers and secure-monitor code. Shield's baseline capabilities are similar to those of Arm's TrustZone, but SiFive is adding features and services unavailable from that competitor.