Trustworthy electronics

In the future, we will have to trust even more electronic components in our daily lives, such as self-driving cars, infrastructure units, or service robots. To use electronics safely and reliably, we must be able to take a sovereign position in the global value chains. This includes understanding the installed components' functionality and supply security. However, not every industry has the same need for comprehensive trustworthiness. The greater the individual or systemic importance of a product, the greater the requirement for its reliability.

Trustworthy electronics attempts to transfer the concept of trust, which is already known from software, to hardware to ensure that the electronics used do exactly what they are supposed to and do not contain any additional, hidden functionalities. Trustworthy electronics encompass quality and reliability as the basis for complex and networked systems. The aim is to avoid security loopholes that allow unintentional intrusion into the systems and to detect and close deliberately introduced backdoors.

Fields of research

• Design and IP protection
• Trustworthy manufacturing processes
• Labeling and analysis

VELEKTRONIK

The aim of the Velektronik project is to create a platform for the topic of »trustworthy electronics«. It addresses overarching issues in the three pillars of the microelectronics value chain: design, manufacturing and analysis.
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VE-DIVA-IC

In the "VE-DIVA-IC" project the FMD member institute Fraunhofer IMS is working with other partners such as Fraunhofer AISEC to strengthen the protection of the integrity and identity of electronic components in the fields of mobility and automation technology.

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VE-REWAL

Trustworthy sensor systems in the automotive sector. In order to make sensor systems in the automotive sector more trustworthy for the end user, the FMD member institutes Fraunhofer IZM and Fraunhofer FHR are working with other partners in the "VE-REWAL" project to develop innovative methods that conceal both the functionality and the layout of the overall systems from third parties, thus rendering them worthless to attackers.
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VE-VIDES

VE-VIDES aims to develop a comprehensive security concept for electronic systems that protects against attacks and manipulation by third parties.
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VE-SAFE

To enable electronic devices to detect and ward off attacks themselves, the "VE-SAFE" project aims to develop a new security concept that uses a multi-sensor to detect tampering attempts and take measures to secure the entire system.
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VE-HEP

The FMD member institute IHP is coordinating the "VE-HEP" project, in which essential parts of the entire value chain in the development and production of safety-relevant chips are now being realized in open source for the first time.
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VE-SILHOUETTE

The "VE-SILHOUETTE" project aims to create a platform that combines and standardizes photonic elements with electronic ones.
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VE-FIDES

In the "VE-FIDES" project, in which the FMD guest member institute Fraunhofer AISEC is involved, suitable ways are being developed to provide components with a unique digital identity with the help of digital authenticity features.
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CERTAIN

The CERTAIN project focuses on PLS-based protection against unauthorized eavesdropping on terahertz connections that use multiple transmitting and receiving antennas. The aim is to achieve the highest possible eavesdropping security for IoT devices with the lowest possible use of resources.
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Tech-for-Trust - T4T

The project aims to develop technological solutions that are necessary for the realization of industrially usable modern system integration in Germany. The main objective of the project is to enable a secure supply chain through distributed manufacturing (split manufacturing).
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TRAICT II

In the TRAICT II project, Fraunhofer IISB and Fraunhofer AISEC worked with their partners on trustworthy and energy-efficient hardware and software components for modern 5G communication technology.
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MORFEUS

The common goal of all partners in the project proposed here is to increase the resilience of embedded systems, i.e. their resistance to: intentional errors (in particular caused by ROP attacks) and random errors (manufacturing weaknesses and signs of ageing).
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Hardware security

To prevent IP theft, manipulation, and network attacks, an end-to-end security concept is required that starts with the very hardware. Smart and connected products and systems need secure and trustworthy software and hardware. 

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