Security Technology

Algotronix' patented DesignTag technology detects the presence of tagged intellectual property within an operating integrated circuit. DesignTag enables the detection of falsely labelled chips and supports enforcement of licence agreements on IP Cores and CAD tools. DesignTag products will be demonstrated at the 44th DAC in San Diego - see us at booth 885.

Algotronix also carries out research on encryption schemes for protecting intellectual property rights in FPGA bitstreams. This includes protecting designs stored in EPROMs adjacent to the FPGA from 'cloning' and reverse engineering, protecting designs being downloaded into an FPGA in the field from tampering and copying and supporting pay-per-use licensing of FPGA design fragments and complete FPGA designs.

This work has resulted in a number of patents and patent applications some of which are available for licensing.

US Patent 7203842 and the corresponding UK Patent 2375418B covers FPGAs which use battery backup to preserve the content of an on-chip key register and systems which make use of such FPGAs. If you are manufacturing products which make use of the bitstream protection functions of recent Xilinx and Altera FPGAs which use a battery backed key register you may require a licence under this patent.

Publications

Design Tag Brochure

Conference Paper in IP Based Design 2006

Conference Paper in FCCM 2001

Conference Paper in FPL 2001

Conference Paper in FPGA 2002

Conference Paper in IP Based Design 2002

Patents

UK Patent 2375418B

US Patent Application 21015919A1

US Patent Application 21037458A1

US Patent Application 22199110A1