Main goal of collaboration is to advance the use of XAIN’s AI technology in cars by integrating security hardware with blockchain methodology
Infineon Technologies AG and XAIN collaborated together to use blockchain technology in the car. Both the companies have signed a MoU, with the goal to test the possible applications and and develop suitable ones to market maturity. The first demonstrator shows how access rights, e.g. for car sharing, can be granted decentrally using a smartphone app.
The Blockchain technology enables decentralizing the database for speedy and secure transactions for tamper free storage. In connecting cars to include automated payments, keyless access for car sharing schemes, on-demand services, tuning protection and automated driving functions blockchain tehchnology can be sued. Significantly it all about granting the access rights to the car or to the specific data in the vehicles. An example involving specific data is when insurance companies offer low rates for car owners with good driving habits.
These features can be implemented by using Infineon’s 2nd generation AURIX™ microcontrollers, as they support blockchain functionality in cars already. This support is based on an embedded hardware security module (HSM) that follows the highest level of the EVITA security standard. An HSM consists of special computing and storage units within the microcontroller. It will do all the cryptographic operations and is protected by a dedicated firewall of its own. The 2nd generation AURIX microcontrollers thus have a secured memory for the digital key used for identification in the blockchain and are able to perform blockchain operations, such as hashing or digital signing, swiftly and securely. Recently introduced, certified security controllers such as the OPTIGA™ TPM 2.0 from Infineon for automotive applications allow even higher security levels to be reached.
However, the creation of new data blocks still represents a challenge for the conventional microcontrollers used in cars. Due to the enormous amounts of required computing power, the so-called mining as used in the context of cryptocurrencies, up to this point in time has been executed by high-performance processors. XAIN, however, is working on a new process that can also be performed on devices that need to be economical in their use of energy – such as microcontrollers in cars.
“We aim to turn cars into fully-fledged network participants”, says Leif-Nissen Lundbæk, founder and CEO of XAIN AG. “As well as being important for offline and real-time capabilities, this also enables a particularly high level of privacy protection in connection with AI technologies. It ensures that private data for machine learning is kept exclusively in local storage. The goal of our collaboration with Infineon is to advance the use of XAIN’s AI technology in cars.”
“Cybersecurity is crucial for the data-driven mobility of the future”, says Peter Schiefer, President of Infineon’s Automotive Division. “Blockchain technology has enormous potential in this regard, but its use requires a high degree of coordination between the selected blockchain methodology and the security hardware installed in the car itself. We will be working together with XAIN to achieve this level of configuration.”
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