Memory Fabric Encryption Protocol Reducing Power Consumption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory protocols, such as DDR, face challenges in securing data transactions between electronic circuits within a memory fabric, leading to redundant encryptions that increase power consumption and heat generation, while also lacking efficient scalability and security against malicious access.
Innovation Solution
The proposed memory fabric protocol employs cryptographic methods for data confidentiality and integrity, using transaction integrity and encryption keys to encrypt and authenticate data, while minimizing overhead through a scalable and extensible protocol that separates data-in-transit and data-at-rest encryption, and incorporates pattern analysis protection to obscure data patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is encrypted at every transaction point in the memory fabric, then data security is improved, but power consumption and heat generation increase due to redundant encryptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the encryption process into two distinct parts: data-in-transit encryption handled by the memory controller and data-at-rest encryption handled by the end device. This segmentation eliminates redundant encryptions by ensuring that each data portion is encrypted exactly once at the appropriate location, thereby maintaining security while reducing power consumption and heat generation in the memory fabric.
Solution Approach 2:
The memory controller acts as an intermediary that performs data-in-transit encryption for header information and coordinates with the end device for data-at-rest encryption. This intermediary role prevents duplicate encryption operations by clearly defining the division of encryption responsibilities between the memory controller and end devices, thus reducing unnecessary power consumption.
2Reliability
If traditional encryption methods are used for all data, then security is improved, but scalability and performance are reduced due to increased overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different encryption qualities to different data portions: data-in-transit (header) receives encryption for security during transmission, while data-at-rest (payload) receives encryption only at the end device. This local differentiation of encryption application optimizes security where needed while minimizing overhead, thereby improving scalability and performance without compromising overall security.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying full encryption to all data at all points, the patent applies partial encryption selectively: data-in-transit encryption for headers and data-at-rest encryption for payloads. This partial action approach reduces the total encryption overhead while maintaining adequate security, thus improving scalability and system performance.
3Reliability
If encryption is applied to all data transactions, then data confidentiality is improved, but processing overhead and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into two portions with different encryption requirements: header information (data-in-transit) and payload (data-at-rest). By segmenting the data and applying appropriate encryption to each portion at the appropriate location, the system maintains data confidentiality while reducing overall processing overhead and complexity compared to encrypting all data uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The end device performs data-at-rest encryption itself, eliminating the need for the memory fabric to handle encryption for payload data. This self-service approach reduces the processing overhead and complexity in the memory fabric while maintaining data confidentiality through local encryption at the end device.
Data Source
AI summary
In an example, memory address encryption is facilitated for transactions between electronic circuits in a memory fabric. An electronic circuit may obtain a transaction integrity key and a transaction encryption key. The electronic circuit may encrypt an address using the transaction encryption key and a compute a truncated message authentication code (MAC) using the transaction integrity key.