British chip designer ARM has announced a new joint venture that aims to improve the security of mobile devices.
The joint venture with security firms Gemalto and Geisecke & Devrient will develop a standard around ARM’s Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), which is based on its existing TrustZone system.
The standardised security platform will help boost security for devices such as tablets, smart TVs, and smartphones – especially when they connect to services such as mobile payments, online banking and enterprise systems.
This will be of significant step in terms of improved consumer trust in secure transactions on connected devices
“The integration of the hardware, software and services necessary for system-wide security has been slow,” said ARM CEO Warren East. “I am confident that this new joint venture will accelerate the adoption of a common security standard, enabling a vibrant ecosystem of secure service providers to emerge. This will be of significant step in terms of improved consumer trust in secure transactions on connected devices.”
ARM’s TrustZone tech was launched in 2004, and is built into its Cortex-A processors to offer security at a hardware level. More sensitive information and systems are held apart from the rest, with access to it more tightly controlled. Aside from boosting security, TrustZone can also be used for digital rights management.
The unnamed joint-venture will be 40% owned by ARM, and 30% owned by the other two firms.
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