Hardware Equivalency for Single-Chip Modules (C31b)
Section 7.10 of the FIPS 140-3 Management Manual outlines operational equivalency for hardware modules, enabling labs to conduct minimal regression testing across multiple platforms differing in storage, interfaces, and power supply. However, this section does not address equivalency considerations for single chip or sub-chip modules. With technological advancements, manufacturing processes for single chips have evolved, producing System-on-Chips (SoCs) in a modular or repeatable manner. It’s possible that the hardware component within the cryptographic boundary of the module remains unchanged across multiple chipsets. This talk, featuring a co-presenter from Qualcomm, aims to provide an overview of the SoC manufacturing process, exploring different stages and industry-specific methods for component identification and mapping to hardware implementation. This discussion seeks to amend existing equivalency guidance to include SoC equivalency as an additional category, benefiting chip manufacturing vendors by facilitating testing across multiple operational environments with minimal regression tests, leading to faster re-validations.