12 January 2024

EnSilica plc

("EnSilica", the "Company" or the "Group")

Release of Post Quantum Cryptography accelerators IP

First customer license granted to major semiconductor supplier

EnSilica (AIM: ENSI), a leading chip maker of mixed-signal ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), is pleased to announce the release of a range of Post-Quantum Cryptography ("PQC") accelerators, with the first of these intellectual property ("IP") licenses granted to a major semiconductor supplier.   

EnSilica is one of the few companies to offer advanced cryptographic accelerators¹ to the market as licensable IP cores, expanding EnSilica's comprehensive range of non-quantum resistant cryptography accelerators for use in its ASICs and other semiconductors.

PQC refers to cryptographic algorithms that can withstand cyber-attacks from quantum computers. As quantum computing advances and noting that artificial intelligence ("AI") based systems are often backed by large datasets that need to be kept secured, there is a real threat that cyber-attacks will break the current public key-based cryptography used in today's secure communications and financial transactions. The draft standard for the first of these cryptographic algorithms was published by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST") last year.  

The widespread adoption of PQC is fuelled by the fear that sensitive encrypted data harvested today, might one day be compromised once powerful quantum computers emerge. This is a critical concern for governments safeguarding secrets and businesses handling sensitive and confidential information.

As well as PQC, the cybersecurity landscape is evolving, necessitating the redesign of many ASICs. This is due to the European Union's recently enacted Network and Information Security ("NIS2") directive. The NIS2 directive, now encompassing a wider remit than the original Network and Information Security directive released in 2016, now includes the manufacturing sectors for critical products such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and chemicals, as well as other critical services such as energy and waste management, public electronic communication networks as well as space and aerospace.

Ian Lankshear, Chief Executive Officer of EnSilica, commented:

"EnSilica's commitment to technological innovation is reflected in our comprehensive range of cryptographic accelerators IP to address the next generation of cybersecurity threats.

The commercial licensing agreement with this major semiconductor giant validates the intrinsic value of our intellectual property. EnSilica not only licenses its IP to other semiconductor companies but also leverages it in the development of custom ASICs which we supply to our clients. Having such IP is a key differentiator for EnSilica's ASIC business given the markets we address, as well as for bringing in high margin IP licensing revenue."

¹ Cryptographic accelerator: a specialized hardware component integrated into semiconductor devices, designed to efficiently perform cryptographic operations, such as encryption and decryption, faster, with lower-power and more securely than software-based implementations.

For further information please contact:

About EnSilica

EnSilica is a leading fabless design house focused on custom ASIC design and supply for OEMs and system houses, as well as IC design services for companies with their own design teams. The company has world-class expertise in supplying custom RF, mmWave, mixed signal and digital ICs to its international customers in the automotive, industrial, healthcare and communications markets. The company also offers a broad portfolio of core IP covering cryptography, radar, and communications systems. EnSilica has a track record in delivering high quality solutions to demanding industry standards. The company is headquartered near Oxford, UK and has design centres across the UK and in Bangalore, India and Porto Alegre, Brazil.