Thales joins RISC-V Foundation to help secure open-source microprocessors

• Thales expertise will support the design of secure, dependable microprocessors.
• Thales is committed to a coordinated approach to future hardware developments by industry and the academic community
• The open source hardware revolution has implications for most of the embedded systems developed for the aerospace, space, automotive, rail transport, security and defence sectors.

Membership of the RISC-V Foundation is the latest illustration of Thales’s commitment to free open-source hardware architectures based on RISC-V processors, and an opportunity for the company to play a major role in a new era microprocessor design. Based on the same philosophy as the Linux success story in the world of software, open source hardware is becoming increasingly important in many key sectors.

Thales will draw on its expertise in the security and dependability of critical embedded systems to help industry players and academic partners in the RISC-V community to establish security best practices for hardware development. The ultimate objective is to improve the security and dependability of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, embedded systems and machine learning implementations.

RISC-V has made significant inroads in recent years in the effort to protect microprocessors from cyber threats. Thales’s cybersecurity expertise will add a dimension of dependability assurance to that effort. In practical terms, the Group will work with open source communities to design microprocessors that are compatible with the requirements of future critical systems.

By adopting an open approach to both hardware and software, Thales and the RISC-V community are opening up new opportunities for the design of mission-critical systems in all sectors, including aerospace, space, automotive, rail transport, security and defence.

“The success of open source hinges on community engagement, and Thales is a dedicated member of the community. Joining the RISC-V Foundation underscores the Group’s commitment to a coordinated approach by industry and academia to the design of secure, dependable microprocessors.” Marko Erman, Chief Technology Officer, Thales.