Delivers advanced execution environment capabilities and hardware-enforced isolation to RISC-V systems
SiFive WorldGuard delivers advanced execution environment capabilities and hardware-enforced isolation to RISC-V systems. As a core component of the broader SiFive Shield open standard security architecture, WorldGuard provides comprehensive memory protection and access control. This scalable framework replaces closed proprietary architectures, ensuring core security and data flow integrity for complex SoCs.
Challenge
Modern SoCs integrate numerous shared resources, from multi-core CPUs to advanced DMA engines. Without precise isolation, untrusted applications can hijack peripherals or manipulate shared memory. Legacy systems relying on binary secure states struggle to efficiently partition concurrent tasks, creating software overhead and security risks.
Solution
WorldGuard provides a highly scalable, process-driven isolation engine. Currently being standardized as the official RISC-V Worlds architecture, it tracks a World ID (WID) for every transaction. Hardware wgCheckers and wgMarkers enforce access rights directly at the destination resource.
Impact
This architecture provides direct, hardware-enforced separation of operating systems and trusted applications, removing hypervisor bottlenecks. Upcoming ISA extensions help teams build modular products with reduced complexity. Chip designers empower RISC-V SoCs to achieve unprecedented security, ecosystem compatibility, and high-throughput performance.
ARCHITECTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
Privilege Mode Mapping
WorldGuard isolates domains both horizontally and vertically. It maps World IDs (WIDs) to RISC-V privilege modes to a separate security monitor from operating systems and applications. This architecture serves as the blueprint for the official RISC-V Worlds standard, establishing strict access boundaries across the entire core complex.
System-Level Filtering
Dedicated wgMarkers append WIDs to all transactions from CPUs and bus masters. These tags propagate across the interconnect to localized wgCheckers, which filter resource requests against authorized access lists. This hardware-level enforcement ensures deterministic performance without the software aliasing overhead required by legacy systems.
TrustZone Emulation
While WorldGuard scales up to 32 distinct execution worlds for advanced multi-tenant isolation, it also accommodates legacy transitions. Developers can utilize a 1-bit WID configuration to perfectly emulate TrustZone environments, simplifying software migration while securing a pathway to next-generation SoC designs.
SUMMARY
SiFive WorldGuard redefines SoC domain separation as the foundational architecture for the RISC-V Worlds standard. This scalable, multi-world alternative to restrictive binary legacy security enables seamless multi-tenant environments. It safeguards critical memory, cache allocation, and shared peripherals entirely in hardware. Isolating tasks across distinct domains gives developers the granular control needed to build safe, compliant automotive, datacenter, and edge systems. WorldGuard is a key component of SiFive Shield, a robust collection of security features available with SiFive processor IP
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Multi-world Hardware Isolation System IP for System Security is a Root Of Trust IP core from Sifive, Inc. listed on Semi IP Hub.
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