FPGA Security Technical Specifications

Multiple entry points across the Intel® FPGA portfolio for data security give network builders the flexibility to find the right balance of performance, power, and features.

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are integrated circuits with logic that can be programmed or changed before or after deployment. FPGAs are often used to offload key workloads from other processors, like the CPU, to improve overall system performance. Multiple FPGAs can be deployed in a configuration, allowing for greater parallelization of workloads. In the context of data security, Intel® FPGAs also offer dedicated hardware blocks for data encryption, to help improve the performance and security of network traffic.

FPGAs can help harden a network from malware and other attacks by accelerating data encryption and making it more efficient. There are no specific threats that FPGAs are designed to defend against. However, Intel® FPGAs also offer embedded security and manageability features, like Secure Device Manager, that help prevent the FPGA from being compromised.

Telcos, CSPs, enterprise data centers, and virtually any business with a network can benefit from FPGA data security. FPGAs can be used to help secure data the moment it enters the network perimeter through remote waystations, Ethernet pipelines, VPN endpoints, or other channels. In many cases, it pays to encrypt data at every node in the fabric, and not just at the perimeter, to help defend against internal vectors of attack.