Technology briefing
The leading Root-of-Trust now integrates CHERI security technology
OpenTitan Earl Grey 2 is planned to add optional CHERI support through a CHERIoT configuration of the Ibex processor.
The announcement
lowRISC announced that the next Earl Grey generation of OpenTitan is intended to support CHERI through CHERIoT-enabled Ibex. OpenTitan is an open-source silicon Root-of-Trust platform used to protect functions such as secure boot, device identity, firmware and cryptographic material. The same roadmap also discusses post-quantum cryptography and other security improvements.
The CHERI path is described as optional. Existing projects can retain the established ePMP-based protection model, while new designs can evaluate hardware-enforced capabilities and finer-grained compartments.
Why it matters
A Root of Trust concentrates high-value code and secrets. Bounds, permissions and protected capability validity can reduce the authority available to a vulnerable component. Compartments can further separate functions so that a defect in one service does not automatically grant access to every key, boot stage or identity service.
The development is important because it links CHERI to an open, security-focused hardware platform rather than only a standalone research processor. It does not, by itself, prove the security of a future Earl Grey 2 product or establish availability.
What adopters should verify
- The released hardware revision and whether CHERI is enabled in the selected configuration.
- The CHERIoT architecture and RTOS versions used by the platform.
- Which Root-of-Trust services are compartmentalised and what authority each receives.
- Verification, test and assurance evidence for the actual silicon and software release.
- Lifecycle, support and migration terms for projects moving from ePMP.