STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor supplier serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has revealed details of its collaboration with Microsoft, an authorized ST partner, to strengthen the security of emerging Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
“IoT device developers face intense pressure to meet time-to-market constraints while also satisfying the highest industry security standards,” said Daniel Colonna, director of marketing for the Microcontroller Division at STMicroelectronics. “Our solution accelerates integrated development, increasing security as well as energy efficiency and performance.”
ST is integrating its ultra-low-power STM32U5 microcontrollers (MCUs) with Microsoft Azure RTOS and IoT Middleware and a certified secure implementation of Arm Trusted Firmware -M (TF-M) secure services for embedded systems. The engineering-intensive project produced a TF-M-based Azure IoT cloud reference implementation that leverages the hardened security features of the STM32U5 complemented with the hardened key storage of a STSAFE-A110 secure element.
“Our collaboration with ST is effective and timely, enabling developer communities to meet widespread market demands for smart, connected solutions that are reliable, robust and efficient,” said Moe Tanabian, vice president and general manager of devices, Azure Edge platform and services.
Microsoft Azure RTOS provides a comprehensive middleware suite optimized for resource-constrained, connected applications such as edge devices and IoT endpoints. It combines the compact size of the ThreadX real-time operating system with services for memory management and connectivity, including NetX Duo IPv4/IPv6 and TLS secure socket support.
The Arm TF-M suite provides trusted services including secure boot, secure storage, encryption, and attestation. Designed for Arm Cortex-M processors, the TF-M suite readily integrates with ST's STM32U5 MCUs, which are based on the advanced Cortex-M33 integrated core.
Additional security features of the STM32U5 include resistance to physical attacks and Arm's proven TrustZone architecture that provides extra isolation for security-critical features. The STM32U5 MCUs achieved PSA Certified Level-3 and SESIP 3 certifications in 2021 and achieved an EEMBC SecureMark-TLS score of 133,000 for cryptographic processing efficiency.
The STSAFE-A110 EAL5+ certified secure element brings an authentication scheme and personalization service that enables automated and secure attachment of connected objects to Microsoft Azure. It securely alleviates the historical burden on IoT device manufacturers to protect secret credentials during product manufacturing.
The MCUs' ultra-low power credentials, confirmed by excellent ULPMark benchmarks for deep sleep, peripheral and active power demands, enable increased runtime on battery-powered equipment.