MIPS TECHNOLOGIES INTROS NEW PROCESSOR CORE FOR ULTRA-LOW POWER SMART CARD APPS.

MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:MIPS, MIPSB), a provider of processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and network applications, has introduced the MIPS32 4KSc smart card core, a high-performance, synthesizable embedded 32-bit processor core designed for ultra-low power advanced smart card applications. The processor core is implemented using the new SmartMIPS architecture that is designed to become the industry standard for next-generation smart card chips. (See accompanying press release on the SmartMIPS architecture).

The introduction of the MIPS32 4KSc smart card core follows the July 2000 announcement by MIPS Technologies and Gemplus SA (Gemenos, France) (Nasdaq:GEMP) to create an architectural standard for next-generation smart card chips. As such, the SmartMIPS architecture is optimized for open operating system platforms such as Sun Microsystems' Java Card technology and Microsoft's Windows for Smart Card. The SmartMIPS architecture addresses smart card requirements, including advanced complex cryptography and secure transactions, and also will be an elegant solution for other secure platform applications. The MIPS32 4KSc smart card core, which was defined with Gemplus, is available for licensing by semiconductor manufacturers for incorporation into smart card chips.

"By teaming up with the world's leader in smart card solutions, we have developed a product that will become the platform of choice for 32-bit smart cards," said Brian Knowles, vice president of marketing for MIPS Technologies. "The MIPS32 4KSc smart card core presents an unbeatable package for semiconductor manufacturers looking to provide innovative solutions in this exploding market."

"The MIPS32 4KSc smart card core is ideally positioned to support emerging multi-application smart card products that require high-performance cryptography for ultra-secure transactions," said Jean Luc Ledys, Gemplus' technology director. "We believe the flexibility of the MIPS32 4KSc smart card core will provide our silicon partners with a dynamic platform for innovation in the smart card solutions market."

The MIPS32 4KSc smart card core, which is synthesizable and highly portable across silicon manufacturing processes, can be easily integrated into full system-on-chip designs.

Implementing the SmartMIPS architecture's cryptography enhancements brings a higher level of smart card processing security to the MIPS32 4KSc core by adding special instructions designed for efficient cryptography processing. These integrated cryptography enhancements reduce the die size and power consumption while increasing cryptographic processing performance, eliminating the need for a coprocessor and reducing overall chip cost.

These new cryptography enhancements support, in software, a wide variety of both public- and secret-key cryptography algorithms, including RSA, DES, AES and Elliptic Curve Cryptography. By having the security features embedded into software and not the processor future security software upgrades can be easily downloaded from the field. Therefore, the actual cards do not need to be recalled as a result of a potential breach in the security algorithm.

Public key cryptography performance is significantly enhanced by using special instructions, while elliptic curve cryptography algorithms can utilize new non-arithmetic instructions. Secret key cryptography algorithms, like DES and AES, benefit from special instructions, which significantly speeding up operations used for these algorithms.

The MIPS32 4KSc smart card core accelerates the interpretation of Java Card byte codes and similar interpretive languages by the addition of a scaled, indexed 32-bit load instruction that is also part of the SmartMIPS architecture.

Preventing unauthorized access to consumers' personal information is key to the adoption and proliferation of 32-bit-based smart cards. The MIPS32 4KSc smart card core implements system encryption mechanisms and specific features embedded in the core, which disguise processor activity and improve the resistance to invasion through power analysis and other techniques. Additionally, system encryption mechanisms are implemented to make the MIPS32 4KSc smart card core more secure.