ARM forms a joint venture with European security companies Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient to create a common connected device (including smartphones, tablets, games consoles and IPTVs) security standard.
Gemalto is the biggest credit card and phone chip maker (by revenue) in the world, and Giesecke & Devrient supplies security products for banking, government and telecom use.
ARM owns 40% of the yet-unnamed company, while Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient own 30% each.
The 3 companies will share patents, software, equipment, staff and an undisclosed cash amount to develop a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) based on ARM TrustZone security technology. The TEE will use both hardware security and industry standard software interfaces-- providing a secure environment for multiple silicon, software and device manufacturers.
Mobile device security is a potentially lucrative business, particularly as virus and hacker attacks on smartphones are on the rise-- slowing the adoption of mobile payment systems like Google Wallet.
