Enhanced Zatara(TM) ARM(R)-Based ASSP From Zilog Adds Integrated Security Features, On-Chip USB for Reduced BOM Costs and Faster Time-to-Market

PCI-PED, Single-Chip Solution Offers Highest Levels of Integration, Dual-Role USB OTG Controller, and Reduced External Component Count for Better Overall System Security

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 12, 2008

-- Zilog, Inc. a leading supplier of 8-, 16- and 32-bit embedded Flash microcontrollers, universal remote control and 32-bit ARM® core-based application-specific standard products (ASSPs) today added a new product to its industry leading, Zatara(TM) family of ARM® core-based ASSPs for secure transactions. Offering the very latest PCI PED certification, the new product offers customers more design flexibility, and meets the needs of those customers who require a more integrated security system. It also showcases a new on-chip Dual-Role USB OTG controller and several new security enhancements that strengthen the overall security system against tampering and other attacks. The new Zatara(TM) ZA9L1 ASSP, as it has been designated, is an ARM® core-based, 32-bit Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) System-on-a-Chip (SoC) solution designed for a variety of security-critical applications, including payment, identity, healthcare, access control, e-government, and e-administration.

All of Zilog's Zatara(TM) ASSPs are EMV and PCI PED pre-certified for point-of-sale applications. PCI PED certification is a security-critical worldwide standard that has long been established by two organizations -- MasterCard and Visa. To be PCI PED compliant, all payment systems must pass this rigorous and stringent standards process. By offering its customers a fully-compliant, PCI PED solution, Zilog is able to pass on a huge advantage to its customers, helping them streamline the system certification process. With Zilog's Zatara(TM) ASSPs, customers get the most secure products to market faster.

"Our PCI PED-compliant Zatara(TM) solution expands our offering and our customers choice and it is indicative of our position as an industry leader for point-of-sale applications," noted Keith Bladen, vice president of marketing and GM for the secure transaction group. "Our secure transaction customers depend on our expertise to keep them on the cutting edge of trusted device design, and keep them ahead of the most complex and sophisticated security attacks. These new enhancements achieve this goal, adding to the overall customer and design experience by showcasing several new security and connectivity features that provide greater levels of integration for those that need it, flexibility, choice, and most importantly, the highest performance with the best security."

The new Dual-Role USB OTG cuts the time it takes for developers to design trusted devices. It eliminates the need for an external USB controller. The reduced external component count cuts total system costs, reduces power consumption, and streamlines time-to-market.

"We've added an on-chip, Dual-Role USB OTG to the Zatara(TM) product family, and reduced the number of external components, which means you have a compact, all-inclusive secure transaction product all on one chip. It's just another layer of defense for our customers," added Bladen.

Zilog has made a point of being the go-to resource for secure transactions. "We collaborate very closely with our customers in the secure transactions space. This helps us understand their needs and their challenges, as well as the challenges to the integrity of their systems," commented Vickie Towe, senior product line marketing manager for the Zatara(TM) family of ASSPs. "That we are the industry leader in POS, and engaged with eighty six percent of the customers in the worldwide POS market, underscores our leadership and the closeness that we enjoy with our customers. It has helped us understand their needs up to now, and even five to ten years down the road. Staying ahead of the hackers and protecting the integrity of our customers' payment and identity systems remains our prime directive. The integrated USB OTG is just another example of that commitment."

About Zatara(TM) ARM® Core-Based ASSPs with USB:

Key Features:

Zatara leverages Zilog's expansive partnerships to offer a rich feature set, including:

  • ARM 9(TM) core
  • Security Subsystem
    • Embedded secure boot ROM
    • Battery-backed security island
    • NIST 800-22 compliant random number generator
    • FIPS-180-2 compliant SHA-1 hash generator
    • 64 KB embedded zero wait-state SRAM
    • 4 KB of embedded secure SRAM with fast zeroization
  • USB Dual Roll Controller (OTG)
  • Magnetic Card Reader (MCR)
  • SmartCard controllers
  • LCD Monochrome Controller
  • 76 General Purpose Input/Output and Pin Muxing (16 dedicated)
  • DMA, SDRAM, and interrupt controllers
  • Power management features

Platform Support:

The Zatara(TM) platform software supports the greatest flexibility and stability on any operating system (OS) environment (proprietary, Linux, etc.) to meet our customer needs in the development environment. The Zatara(TM) platform package includes:

  • Board Support Package (BSP) root file systems, tool chain, device drivers, boot loader, binary file, and signing tool. 
  • Linux develop platform - ported Linux operating system
Development Tools:

The Zatara(TM) 32-bit ARM® solution includes the secure hardware platform, software environment and comprehensive set of development tools. Reference Design Kit consists of:

  • Reference Design Board with full collateral and schematics
  • Zatara Series platform software package
  • Zatara Series CPU silicon
  • Signum JTAG (optional)

Since the Zatara(TM) ASSP is based on ARM® core technology, designers can fully take advantage of a wide variety of tools and 3rd party support available for ARM-based architectures. High performance, robust security and a rich feature set, combined with Zilog's quality and industry reputation, makes the Zatara(TM) 32-bit ASSP product family the right choice for your trusted devices.

Pricing and Availability:

The Zatara(TM) ASSP is available exclusively from Zilog. You can access more information by visiting http://www.zilog.com, or by emailing Zilog direct at ARM@zilog.com. Pricing for the new Zatara(TM) ASSP varies according to product type and order quantity. Please contact your local Zilog sales representative for information or to obtain a quote.

About Zilog, Inc.

Founded in 1974, Zilog is a global supplier of 8, 16 and 32-bit microcontroller and microprocessor "system-on-a-chip" (SoC) solutions that allow design engineers the freedom and creativity required for continued innovation in embedded design. The company won international acclaim for designing one of the first architectures in the microprocessors and microcontrollers industry. Today, Zilog designs, develops and markets a broad portfolio of devices for embedded control and communication applications used in consumer electronics, home appliances, security systems, point of sales terminals, personal computer peripherals, as well as industrial and automotive applications. Zilog is headquartered in San Jose, California, and employs approximately 500 people worldwide with sales offices throughout Asia, Europe and North America. For more information about Zilog and its products, visit the Company's website at: http://www.Zilog.com.

×
Semiconductor IP