Synopsys Inline Memory Encryption (IME) Security Modules

As our connected world expands, the technological advances in high-performance computing (HPC) are reshaping system-on-chip (SoC) designs to address the need for more acceleration, more storage capacity, new compute architectures, and increased bandwidths for faster data movement. High bandwidth interfaces such as DDR/LPDDR/MRDIMM are proliferating, and their speeds continue to grow from generation to generation.

At the same time, the security of data and systems is paramount, driven by multiple factors, including significant growth in confidential and sensitive information, laws, regulations, and standards evolution.

Synopsys Inline Memory Encryption (IME) Security Modules provide confidentiality of data in use or stored in off-chip memory over memory interfaces. They integrate seamlessly with Synopsys DDR, LPDDR, and MRDIMM IP Controllers for most optimal solutions in the industry with latency as low as 2 cycles, accelerating SoC integration and reducing risk.

Besides this tightly integrated security within controller IP for ultra‑low‑latency protection, the Synopsys IME Security Modules also serve other use cases described in this datasheet. These include coherent memory encryption for systems implementing ARM Confidential Compute Architecture (CCA) through standalone connections to ARM CXL/CCIX Coherent Gateway (CCG) fabrics. Additionally, IME ensures confidentiality in chiplet‑based systems via UCIe, securing data as it moves between processing and memory chiplets. IME can also be deployed as an inline AXI‑based encryption engine, enabling plug‑and‑play protection in a wide variety of system designs, or as a lookaside AXI solution that adds encryption to heterogeneous platforms and non‑Synopsys memory controllers without requiring architectural changes. Together, these use cases demonstrate the scalability and versatility of the Synopsys IME Security Modules across next‑generation SoCs.

Learn about the Synopsys broad portfolio of Security Solutions for Interfaces.