TI licenses Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology

Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN) is licensing Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology, from Mississauga, Ontario-based Certicom (TSX: CIC), to offer enhanced security as part of the TI RF360 next-generation, smart integrated circuit (IC) platform for government-issued electronic identification (e-ID) documents. With Certicom’s embedded ECC technology, TI says it can now offer faster and more secure processing of e-passports and other government-issued electronic IDs. Under the agreement, TI will be licensing Certicom’s low power ECC/RSA hardware acceleration IP core and cryptographic software for its RF360 smart IC platform.

TI says the licensing agreement is part of its strategy of ensuring long-term compliance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP800-78 management requirements for FIPS 201 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards as well as with international e-passport requirements. Compliance is also provided with Suite B key agreement algorithms that were established as part of the NSA’s Cryptographic Modernization Program to protect both sensitive and classified data. We note that as the primary source of Suite B technology, Certicom is is one of the leading provider of ECC and Suite B-based solutions. Certicom holds more than twenty Suite B-related patents.