NXP's OrangeBox 2.0 Brings On-Device AI, Post-Quantum Cryptography to Bear on Protecting Future Cars
A machine learning accelerator that can detect new threads and neutralize them and post-quantum security only two of the new features.
NXP Semiconductors has announced the impending launch of its next-generation OrangeBox 2.0 connectivity domain controller, promising artificial intelligence (AI) technology and post-quantum cryptography aimed at keeping future software-defined vehicles safe.
"The original OrangeBox platform consolidated the wireless connectivity of the vehicle, reducing the cyber-attack surfaces," explains NXP's Dan Loop of the platform's predecessor. "OrangeBox 2.0 enables AI to take things a step further, protecting cars by detecting anomalous communication patterns which could be a sign of previously unknown cyberthreats. The AI capabilities and advanced safety and connectivity delivered by the i.MX 94 applications processor will not only support new cybersecurity protections, but also enable new features for fleet management, predictive maintenance, and more."
The heart of the OrangeBox 2.0 is an NXP i.MX 94, the company's first system-on-chip to feature an integrated 2.5-gigabit-Ethernet switch. The chip includes four Arm Cortex-A55 application processor cores running at up to 1.7GHz, two Cortex-M7 microcontroller cores running at up to 800MHz, and two Cortex-M33 microcontroller cores running at 333MHz and 300MHz respectively. It also features NXP's in-house eIQ Neutron neural processing unit — designed to deliver the computational grunt required for on-device machine learning to detect previously-unknown threats and firewall them off automatically.
The same neural coprocessor can be used to run other machine learning models, NXP says, including those for fleet management and predictive maintenance. Elsewhere in the chip is a secure enclave featuring post-quantum cryptographic algorithms — designed to withstand attack from as-yet theoretical large-scale quantum computers capable of rapidly factorizing large numbers and thus defeating existing common public-key cryptosystems. For connectivity the OrangeBox 2.0 also includes NXP's AW693 for dual-band Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, while audio is handled by the software-defined SAF9100.
NXP is showcasing the OrangeBox 2.0 at Computex in Taipei this week; availability is expected in the second half of the year, at an as-yet unannounced price point. More information is available on the NXP website.