EnSilica has joined the CHERI Alliance, aligning itself with a growing industry effort to address hardware-level security challenges as cyber threats continue to escalate across digital systems.
The Oxford-based mixed-signal ASIC specialist said the move will support the wider adoption of CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions), an open technology designed to mitigate some of the most prevalent vulnerabilities in modern computing. Industry estimates suggest that memory corruption and unauthorized code execution account for more than 70 percent of current security flaws, making them a priority for both regulators and system designers.
CHERI addresses these risks by embedding security directly into processor hardware. The technology introduces fine-grained memory protection and compartmentalization, limiting how software can access memory and execute code. Unlike many software-based security solutions, CHERI is designed to maintain performance and power efficiency, a key requirement for embedded, industrial, and battery-powered devices.
A notable feature of CHERI is its ability to enhance the security of existing software without requiring extensive redevelopment. This lowers the cost and complexity of adoption, particularly for manufacturers working with long product lifecycles or legacy codebases.
The CHERI Alliance brings together semiconductor companies, system designers, cloud providers, academic institutions, and government organizations to accelerate the transition from research to commercial deployment. Its members include technology firms such as Google, Codasip, lowRISC, Siemens, and Verisilicon, alongside research institutions including the University of Cambridge and SRI International. The Alliance focuses on developing standards, tools, and best practices to support ecosystem-wide adoption.
Through its participation, EnSilica will collaborate in technical working groups, share implementation experience, and engage with partners and potential customers. The company plans to apply its ASIC design expertise to deliver CHERI-enabled silicon, allowing customers to integrate security-by-design into their products.
Mike Eftimakis, founding director of the CHERI Alliance, said regulatory scrutiny of device security is intensifying, with expectations that insecure products may face restrictions as early as next year. He noted that hardware-based security will be essential for meeting future compliance requirements.
EnSilica Chief Executive Officer Ian Lankshear described CHERI as a shift in how system security is achieved. He said joining the Alliance enables EnSilica to work closely with industry and research leaders while scaling secure silicon solutions for commercial use.
