Is there a field of semiconductors thatt the United States always been at a disadvantage in?
This is the protagonist of the article: the chip card (also known as IC card) with an annual sales volume of 10 billion units.
What is chipcards?
All kinds of bank cards, ID cards, mobile phone SIM cards, transportation cards, access control cards, and NFC etc. are included.
Manufacturers prefer to call it a Smart Card, which should be derived from Smart City. The term “Smart” probably means that no matter where you are, someone always knows.
The current mainstream chip card is the CPU card: it contains a CPU, memory (RAM), “hard disk” (ROM), and an operating system (Card OS or COS)…
A small card is a complete computer.
Chapter One Link to heading
The above chart shows the top five semiconductor chip card companies: NXP, Infineon, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, and Huada, which is mainly manufactured by Huahong Semiconductor.
Why haven’t we seen any American manufacturers?
Because Americans are not good at math.
Haha, just kidding. I just feel like it’s a bit of a coincidence.
The average American is not adept at managing their finances. Last year, credit card debt soared to one trillion dollars, with half of the population foolishly resorting to various installment plans and high-interest loans.
Americans still stubbornly refuse to use chip cards and prefer using magnetic stripes.
So, where in the world are people best at mathematics?
The foundation of chip cards is mathematics, primarily cryptography.
Perhaps not by coincidence, France and Germany have always been far ahead in the field of smart card chips, except for recent years where they have been overtaken by Dutch and Austrian companies within the German-speaking region.
Chapter Two Link to heading
In addition to semiconductor factories providing chips, there are also some module factories that manufacture finished chip cards. This is similar to memory modules or camera modules in smartphones.
There are many module factories like this, which offer both COS software and customized services for clients. Among them, the leading factories are Gemalto (now under Thales in France) and G+D (in Germany).
The story of Gemalto has a long and profound history.
In 1968, two German inventors applied for a patent for plastic card-encased chip technology. In 1970, Dr. Kunitaka Arimura from Japan registered the concept of IC cards, but neither were commercialized.
It was not until 1974 that the Frenchman Roland Moreno applied for a patent for the electronic payment chip card, at which point people realized that chip cards were meant for payment purposes.
The prototype card of Moreno is soldered onto a ring, and the experience of inserting and pulling it out is truly imaginative.
Next, a bunch of French companies started designing standards and unveiling products. Pioneers included Bull, SGS Thomson, and Schlumberger.
In 1979, Michel Hugon of the French company Bull CP8 developed the first microprocessor-based smart card.
In the 1980s, the main areas of application for chip cards were telephone cards and some bank cards. Gemplus was founded by several employees of SGS Thomson, a telephone card company.
The relationship between Schlumberger, known for its oil field services, and smart card technology is closely linked. Simply put, Schlumberger’s card division acquired Bull which later became independent as Axelto, and then merged with Gemplus to become the world’s leading module company: Gemalto, which was subsequently acquired by French defense giant Thales.
Chapter Three Link to heading
In the 1990s, the mainstay of chip cards shifted towards the mobile SIM card. The growth rate of CPU cards began to surpass that of Memory cards, at which point semiconductor manufacturers such as STMicroelectronics, Infineon, and Motorola (later sold to Atmel) took the lead due to their powerful microprocessors and single-chip solutions.
At that time, Infineon’s chip cards were enjoying immense popularity with worldwide shipments reaching up to half of the market share. However, colleagues could feel the overwhelming presence of a strong rival: Philips (later known as NXP).
When Infineon was resisting Micron in the field of memory, Philips launched a counterattack with another company with a similar name, Mikron.
The non-contact chip card technology of Mikron, an Austrian company, known as Mifare, can be said to be a unique weapon - unmatched in the world, since its debut. Philips, Siemens (Infineon), and Atmel have all bought the classic manual for training purposes.
Philips, with its sharp vision, decisively acquired Mikron in order to monopolize the hidden techniques behind it.
In the 2000s, contactless banking cards saw a significant increase, as did various transportation cards, access control cards, and so on. In the 2010s, NFC has become even more popular.
Philips hit the gold ingot and pies are falling from the sky.
Sony’s Felica technology is actually comparable. Many people have used Hong Kong Octopus, but because of its relatively high cost and small ecosystem, it is difficult to compete with Philips. Philips even authorized Mifare to Hitachi to disrupt the game in Sony’s old home.
In China, Phillips has monopolized many banking businesses, and many of Infineon’s colleagues have also jumped ship to Phillips (NXP). Adding insult to injury, Infineon has also experienced several security breaches, causing their market share to plummet.
Chapter Four Link to heading
When it comes to security, I would like to mention another product: TPM.
If the IC card ID is a person’s proof of identity, then TPM is the IC identity card of machines (particularly computers). The principle and chip of TPM are very similar to a smart card.
Through TPM, a company can ensure that no external computer can log into the company’s domain. TPM can also encrypt the entire hard drive, making it impossible to read data even if the hard drive is removed.
I was the first one in China to undertake a TPM project. However, later on, the TCG 1.2 standard was rejected by the authorities for not complying with cryptographic regulations, and only a few thousand were produced before it was terminated.
“The TCG organization includes the top IT giants in the world, but the implementation of TPM still lacks enthusiasm after more than a decade. The security policies of various countries are also difficult to express in words.”
Infineon actively participated in the second-generation ID card project in China, but it turned out to be a futile effort. Although the use of CPU cards in the ID cards prevented replication, the lack of a cancellation function proved to be a huge flaw. Stolen ID cards were also utilized by criminals.
Safety is always a double-edged sword.
Chapter Five Link to heading
The technology of chip cards is still constantly advancing.
In addition to constantly introducing higher levels of encryption and standards, capacity is also increasing. For example, electronic passport chips can store large amounts of information such as high-definition photographs and fingerprints. The new 5G SIM card can even have up to 64G of storage, and encrypting such a large capacity is a very difficult problem.
(Credit: Thales)
The storage of the chip card gradually shifted from EEPROM to advanced Flash, and during this process, Samsung Electronics from South Korea became another contender for the throne.
Undoubtedly, Samsung’s microprocessors and Flash technology are top-notch, and their production techniques are unparalleled. Therefore, Samsung has become the new era’s dark horse.
Finally, let’s gossip a little bit more.
The chip designs of various module factories are often different, and some designs can reveal the manufacturer’s identity.
I always felt that these designs were becoming more and more ugly until the emergence of the Apple Card from Apple.
Not only is the card made of titanium, even the chip contacts are perfectly rounded rectangles. This is the innovation of the Fearless One.