The funding furthers commercialisation of Capability Hardware Enhanced Risc Instructions (CHERI).
EnSilica’s commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) CHERI-compliant secure processor chip, developed under the contract, will target quantum-resilient applications requiring the highest levels of security and functional safety, with relevance across defence, industrial, automotive and aerospace markets.
The device will feature interfaces tailored for high-integrity industrial and automotive applications, supporting secure connectivity, advanced sensor integration and robust real-time control.
It will be developed in line with ISO/SAE 21434 for automotive cybersecurity and ISO 26262 for functional safety, while also meeting the equivalent cybersecurity and functional safety requirements for industrial markets.
This programme sits within a wider UK government initiative to accelerate the commercialisation of advanced hardware security technologies, supported by up to £21m of national investment. It reflects increasing emphasis on bringing robust, security-focused silicon to market at scale.
The UK government has identified CHERI as central to strengthening the security of future computing systems, and its continued funding aims to accelerate the development and adoption of secure CHERI-enabled chips with commercial relevance in critical national infrastructure use cases.
This innovation aligns with the UK government’s broader semiconductor strategy, supporting national resilience in cybersecurity and contributing to the growth of the UK’s semiconductor ecosystem.
The COTS chip will include EnSilica’s latest Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) accelerator IP, making the chip resilient to attacks from quantum computers; a new class of computing system that exploits the principles of quantum mechanics, enabling them to solve certain complex problems, such as cryptographic problems, exponentially faster than today’s processors.
Security analysts have raised quantum computers as an emerging security risk with parties capturing encrypted data, with the intention of decrypting it in the future when high-performance quantum computers become more available, a tactic known as ‘harvest now, decrypt later’. The deployment of PQC is therefore essential to future-proof secure processors and communications systems.
The PQC market is forecast to grow from $310m in 2024 to $9.4bn by 2033, representing a 45% CAGR and driven by regulation and long-lifecycle systems needing future-proof security.
EnSilica’s PQC IP enables the development of quantum-resilient secure semiconductors across its core markets of automotive, industrial and satellite communications, ensuring compliance with current and emerging cybersecurity standards. Ownership of this IP provides the company with the ability to deliver deep customisations, auditability and reuse across multiple asic programmes, thereby reducing development cost and strengthening EnSilica’s competitiveness.
The company has licensed its PQC IP and its other cryptographic IP to one of the world’s leading semiconductor networking companies, providing external validation of the quality of EnSilica’s IP and demonstrating growing market demand for quantum-resilient semiconductors.
“As a leading silicon chip maker, we are delighted to have our secure processor chip chosen by the UK government for this contract for innovation. This will expand our products by offering a CHERI-enabled secure processor chip as a commercial off-the-shelf product, not only putting CHERI-enabled devices into the hands of product developers and strengthening their security capabilities but also contributing to a more robust and resilient UK technology supply chain,” says Ensilica CEO Ian Lankshear (pictured).
