The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has created a “virtual lab” to develop assessment methods for government and industry researchers to ensure that embedded chips in military equipment are tamper-proof.
DARPA said Tuesday the interactive platform is designed to share microchip analysis and debugging information, as well as to facilitate public-private sector communication under the agency’s Integrity and Reliability of Integrated Circuits initiative.
“Improving chip intrusion detection and assessment speed across the investigative community will help prevent the installation of counterfeit chips in military systems and enhance overall confidence in the electronics supply chain,” said Kerry Bernstein, a DARPA program manager.
The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Air Force Research Laboratory and the University of California have collaborated to produce a tool for identifying technical issues in integrated circuits and correcting the glitch.
According to DARPA, the failure analysis method employs a 1,340-nanometer laser application designed to alter the IC’s physical characteristics.
