Product category: Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Renesas Technology Europe | Subject: AE55C1
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 23 May 2005
32bit MCU boosts smart card security
A new high-performance 32bit smart card microcontroller is designed specifically for the high-security needs of the financial and ID sectors
Renesas Technology has unveiled its latest high-performance 32bit smart card microcontroller, designed specifically for the high-security needs of the financial and ID sectors. The AE55C1 offers an eight-fold improvement in performance over the previous 16bit AE-4 series, meeting the increasingly complex demands for multi-application smart cards which require higher performance and flexibility from the smart card microcontroller.
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Smart card microcontroller meets security standard
The AE55C1 32bit smart card microcontroller, with advanced cryptographic library functions, has obtained EAL4+ certification under the ISO/IEC15408 international standard
Microcontrollers expand 16bit applications
Microcontroller additions target car audio, home audio and similar consumer products as well as industrial applications
The AE55C1 incorporates an AE-5 core which employs Renesas Technology's original 32bit architecture, developed for smart card microcontroller use, and has an operating frequency of up to 20MHz.
The AE-5 core is upwards compatible with the AE-4 16bit CPU core and includes the instruction set and other features of the 16bit model to facilitate smooth migration to the AE55C1.
In addition, ROM code efficiency has been improved by approximately 20%, enabling better size compactness and effectiveness.
Further reading
Microcontrollers enable easy upgrades
Microcontrollers with on-chip Flash memory target a wide range of applications, including industrial equipment and consumer electronics
The microcontroller features an on-chip 40Kbyte EEPROM and large capacity (240Kbyte) mask ROM to accommodate a general-purpose operating system and multiple applications, as well as storage space for large volumes of data which is a key requirement of multifunction smart cards.
The EEPROM employs Renesas' proprietary MONOS technology (metal oxide nitride oxide silicon) to guarantee high reliability.
A DMAC (direct memory access controller) is also included in the AE55C1 microcontroller.
The DMAC performs high speed data transfer, accelerating communication speed while reducing the processing burden on the CPU.
As security is a key concern for smart cards used in ID or financial sectors, the exponential multiplication/division algorithm coprocessor has been enhanced, enabling much higher levels of security to be achieved.
As part of our standard procedure, it is planned to certify the platform to Common Criteria level EAL4+.
The AE55C1 can be shipped in wafer or COT (chip on tape) form.
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