Infineon Introduces New Security Chip Card Controllers to Make Electronic Identity Cards and Passports Even More Secure
MUNICH, Germany & SAN JOSE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—July 16, 2004—
Infineon Technologies (NYSE:IFX)(FWB:IFX) is developing
two new security controllers intended to make electronic identity
cards and passports of the future even more secure and versatile, and
the first global testing of the new ID cards and passports will occur
at the end of 2004.
With 64 kilobytes of memory, Infineon's new security controllers,
the SLE66CLX640P and SLE66CLX641P, will provide twice the storage
capacity of currently available chips, and are capable of storing all
the required personal information of the owner -- including biometric
data such as fingerprints, facial features, and retina or iris pattern
-- in encrypted form. This contributes to better protection of travel
documents against misuse. Until now, chip cards have been designed for
a maximum useful lifetime of five years, whereas electronic ID cards
and passports are generally valid for ten years. Infineon has aimed
its new controllers at precisely these requirements.
"One of the biggest concerns today is how to safeguard data and
protect against identity theft," said Dr. Joerg Borchert, vice
president, secure mobile solutions, Infineon Technologies North
America Corp. "With the Infineon-enabled chips, electronic ID cards
and passports will be much more secure than ID cards and passports
today."
The most important requirement for identification documents is
that all data is stored as reliably and as securely as possible. Each
of Infineon's security controllers contains more than 50 individual
security mechanisms built into the chip. This ensures that the stored
data enjoys the best possible protection against manipulation and
improper use. For example, firewalls protect the data against forgery
or illegal use, and data encryption and sensors defend against hacker
attacks.
Both the new security controllers meet the provisions of global
Standard 9303-1, issued by the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), which has laid down framework standards for
globally valid travel documents for 188 countries. In line with the
ICAO requirements for electronic travel documents, the encrypted data
on both chips includes not just the details currently printed on ID
papers, such as name, date of birth and period of validity, but also a
number of biometric characteristics specific to the individual, which
can be the face, the prints of one or more fingers, the image of the
holder's iris or a combination of these characteristics. Unlike today,
the holders of future generations of ID cards may be sure that if they
should lose their cards, it cannot be used without authorization.
Infineon's chips are the only products in the world capable of
supporting both of the contactless interface formats that dominate the
marketplace, ISO/IEC 14443 Type A and Type B, which differ in the data
transmission protocols they employ. This means that cards or passes
containing Infineon's security controller can be used worldwide,
regardless of the reader infrastructure already installed or being set
up.
The SLE66CLX640P and SLE66CLX641P security controllers will be
ready to ship in high volumes by the end of 2004, with first samples
available in late summer 2004.
For further information on Infineon's product portfolio of
security and chip card ICs, please got to:
www.infineon.com/security_and_chipcard_ics
About Infineon
Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor
and system solutions for the automotive and industrial sectors, for
applications in the wired communications markets, secure mobile
solutions as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon
operates in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from
Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In fiscal year 2003 (ending
September), the company achieved sales of Euro 6.15 billion with about
32,300 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker
symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.
This news release is available online at
http://www.infineon.com/news/
Contact:
Infineon Technologies
Technology Communications
Monika Sonntag, +49 89 234 24497 (Worldwide Headquarters)
monika.sonntag@infineon.com
Saswato Das, 212-529-1789 (U.S.A.)
saswato.das@infineon.com
Kaye Lim, +65 6840 0689 (Asia)
kaye.lim@infineon.com
Hirotaka Shiroguchi, +81 3 5449 6795 (Japan)
hirotaka.shiroguchi@infineon.com
Investor Relations
EU/APAC, +49 89 234 26655
USA/CAN, 408-501-6800
investor.relations@infineon.com
