Largely out of the public eye, a lot of work is going on to assure security of this rapidly expanding, massively interconnected digital ecosystem. I had the chance to discuss this at length with Thomas Rosteck, Division President of Connected Secure Systems (CSS) at Infineon Technologies.

We met at  Infineon’s OktoberTech™ Silicon Valley 2024 conference, which I had the privilege of attending recently at the Computer History Museum. For a drill down on our conversation, please view the accompanying videocast. My big takeaways:

Innovation and standards

Ensuring that hyper-connected IoT devices are not only smarter and faster but also resilient against cyber threats is a very tall order. It requires technical innovation to mesh with supporting security standards and emerging government regulations much quicker and smoother than has ever happened in the Internet era.

This, indeed, is what’s happening. Infineon, for instance, is known for supplying secured, energy-efficient semiconductors and microcontrollers which are critical for IoT security. The Munich, Germany-based company has stepped forward to take a leading role in making security breakthroughs at the hardware level, notably at the IoT device level.

The idea is to help establish a trusted foundation at the outermost edges of modern IoT systems — by safeguarding device integrity inside each IoT sensor and IoT controller. “Security is like baking a cake,” Rosteck explains. “Once baked, you can’t add the flavor. Likewise, security must be embedded in each IoT device from the start.”

Microcontrollers have emerged as a main ingredient for securing IoT services. These compact, integrated computer chips are designed to control specific tasks in electronic devices. Infineon has been pushing the boundaries of what microcontrollers can do, especially when it comes to making them much more capable and secured in IoT applications.

The rapid advancement of semiconductor miniaturization and edge computing capabilities over the past five years has been a key development, enabling much more complex processing to be carried out on ever smaller chips. Wider availability of high-speed wireless networks, like 5G, and the continuing shift to robust cloud computing services, has helped, as well.

Miniature brains

Today microcontrollers act as the “brains” behind smart devices, enabling high connectivity and efficient power management for everything from sensors to complex systems. They play a crucial role in making IoT devices smarter, more secure, and capable of seamless communication in connected ecosystems, Rosteck noted.

It struck me that what Infineon is doing is akin to distributing miniature digital brains at the outermost edges of IoT systems. These tiny brains are optimized to handle specific, high-stakes tasks efficiently and reliably.

Much as the human brain processes information and makes decisions, Infineon’s microcontrollers are designed to autonomously manage essential functions—whether controlling precise equipment in a factory, monitoring patient vitals in a hospital, or managing energy flow in a utility grid.

We’re in an early phase of relying on individual chips to perform complex, real-time processing and execute reliable, autonomous decisions at the Internet edge — without relying on central servers. IoT systems of the near future hold great promise to help us achieve great things, such as reverse the effects of climate change and even promote an improved standard of living, for one and all.

Explore IT Tech News for the latest advancements in Information Technology & insightful updates from industry experts!