Original or Counterfeit? OPTIGA™ Trust Security Solutions from Infineon Protect Small Electronic Devices and Accessories against Product Piracy

Neubiberg, Germany – October 30, 2013 – Every year, product plagiarism inflicts billions of dollars in damages to businesses. Such counterfeiting is not limited to luxury goods and lifestyle products; it also is prevalent in small electronic devices or even printer cartridges. Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) today announced its new OPTIGA™ Trust authentication chip, which helps manufacturers of electronic accessories and replacement parts protect their businesses against damages caused by counterfeiting. Consumers benefit as well, as authentication chips can help to reduce the risk of damaging the end-device by using poorly designed pirate products.

”To meet rapidly growing market demand for authentication in electronic devices, we offer a complete solution that meets the design requirements and offers the best security standard of its class,” says Juergen Spaenkuch, Head of Platform Security at Infineon Technologies. "The Infineon OPTIGA Trust solution helps manufacturers of electronic devices, accessories and replacement parts to protect their intellectual property and brands very effectively against counterfeits and to reach their high quality targets."

A small chip with great impact

OPTIGA Trust is a complete solution consisting of a chip and software that can be integrated into headphones, cartridges and electronic replacement parts to authenticate them when connected to the end-device. Thanks to OPTIGA Trust, the end-device can recognize authorized products and reject counterfeits.

The OPTIGA Trust authentication chip provides the following advantages:

• Strong cryptographic security due to asymmetric encryption (ECC Elliptic Curve Cryptography)
• Space and cost savings because a single chip replaces typical two-chip solution
• Minimal development and integration effort; thanks to a complete solution consisting of a chip and software
• Easy-to-integrate Single-Wire host interface
• Small chip size makes it suitable even for small devices such as in-ear headphones

According to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC), product plagiarism causes damages of over US $600 billion per year. ABI Research estimates that the market for authentication chips and solutions for small electronic devices and accessories, IT infrastructures and printers is expected to grow from 597 million pieces delivered in 2012 to over 1.5 billion pieces in 2018.

Product data, availability

The OPTIGA Trust SLS 10ERE authentication chips are offered in the USON-3-Package (2mm x 3mm) and samples are available now.
Further information is available at: www.infineon.com/optiga-trust

About OPTIGA™

Infineon's OPTIGA™ range includes various 'embedded' security chips and security solutions (‘ embedded security’) for electronic systems. These range from complex IT-infrastructures with many servers and computers to single systems that consist of the device and the suitable accessory, such as a MP3 player and headphones. The chips are integrated in the electronic devices and authenticate the individual elements of the system. The security requirements on the chip solution vary depending on the application. Infineon thus offers different product families including OPTIGA™ TPM, which secures the system integrity of IT networks, or OPTIGA™ Trust authentication chips, which help to protect electronic accessories and replacement parts against product piracy.

Security for the connected world

Based on its core competences in the fields of security, contactless communication and integrated microcontroller solutions (embedded control), Infineon offers an extensive portfolio of semiconductor-based security products for many chip card and security applications. With this expertise, Infineon is helping to increase security in an increasingly connected world, for example for mobile payment, for system security and secure electronic ID documents. For over 25 years, Infineon has developed innovative solutions in the area of hardware-based security and has been a global market leader for 15 consecutive years. For more information about chip cards and security solutions at Infineon, please go to: www.infineon.com/chip-card-and-security

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2012 fiscal year (ending September 30), the Company reported sales of Euro 3.9 billion with close to 26,700 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).