Untrusted Analog Components Add Risks For Critical Infrastructure

As global attention to semiconductor supply chain security intensifies, the security of analog components is increasingly coming under scrutiny. In critical infrastructure and security-sensitive marke... Read original →

The absence of unclonable identity in analog chips is exposing critical infrastructure to systemic supply chain risks. While digital ICs leverage RoT and PUFs for hardware-rooted trust, analog and mixed-signal components—vital in defense, telecom, and power grids—lack equivalent immutable identifiers. TSMC’s 3nm/EUV scaling doesn’t resolve the power-area trade-offs of embedding non-volatile IDs; instead, Synopsys and Siemens EDA are integrating laser-etched markers and SRAM-based PUFs into design flows. Regulatory pressure from the U.S. NDAA and EU Chips Act will mandate hardware-level traceability, raising compliance costs and favoring incumbents. NVIDIA may exploit this to shape security standards, marginalizing niche players like Aerocyonics. Within 18 months, X-ray-readable physical IDs and ultra-low-overhead ring oscillator PUFs will become de facto requirements in industrial and military ICs, igniting a new IP licensing battleground.