In future, all AMD and Intel processors for Windows PCs (and notebooks) will incorporate the Microsoft controller “Pluton”, which anchors a so-called Root of Trust with a cryptographic Microsoft key directly in the CPU. After Microsoft announced the Pluton project, AMD and Intel published their own information on it.

Both manufacturers emphasize that they already provide hardware security functions, such as firmware TPMs (fTPM), with their respective integrated security controllers AMD Secure Processor (formerly Platform Security Processor / PSP) and Intel Converged Security and Management Engine (CSME). These should also remain available in the future.

Intel emphasizes that Pluton will be integrated into future processors as an addition and “as a choice”. In addition, Intel names the numerous in-house protective measures such as Boot Guard, BIOS Guard and Hardware Shield and refers to the innovations of CSME . 0, the Tiger Lake has started and among other things enables CET.

AMD Zen processors will in future get Microsoft Pluton in addition to AMD Secure Processor.

(Image: AMD)

AMD in turn reports that it was involved in the development of Pluton and that the predecessor has been working since 2013 built into their own silicon, namely in the processor for the Xbox One.

Pluton is also to be built into ARM SoCs from Qualcomm for Windows computers.

(ciw)