Marvell Technology, Microsoft and Oracle announced a collaborative effort aligned with the Open Compute Project (OCP) aimed at standardizing a NIST FIPS 140-3 Level 3 integrated HSM for cloud and hyperscale data center infrastructure.
To direct this effort, the three companies have established a new OCP working group under OCP’s Security Track. The working group’s charter is to define open specifications for an integrated hardware security module for secure key caching and cryptographic key lifecycle management directly at the server level. This approach will reduce latency, improve scalability and strengthen the security posture of cloud compute workloads.
Most cloud and enterprise servers today rely on network-attached hardware security modules (HSMs) or software-only key management. This approach requires cryptographic keys to traverse the network or reside in unprotected, non-FIPS 140-3 Level 3 memory, exposing sensitive keys to potential security attacks. The working group will define an open specification for embedding a hardware security boundary, key vault and attestation chain directly into the server. This will ensure that cryptographic operations execute where data is processed, keys never leave a certified hardware boundary and workload integrity can be proven cryptographically to any relying party.
“An integrated HSM will allow cryptographic key operations to execute where the workload runs, satisfying both regulatory compliance and zero-trust architecture requirements, all without compromising higher performance for security,” said Cary Ussery, senior vice president and general manager, Multimarket Business Group, at Marvell. “By defining this as an open specification, we’ll make that capability available to the entire industry.”
“As AI transforms cybersecurity and quantum technology reshapes cryptography, protecting the keys and credentials at the heart of our digital infrastructure has never been more important,” said Mark Russinovich, CTO, deputy CISO and technical fellow, Microsoft Azure. “Through the Open Compute Project, industry leaders are coming together around a fully open-source integrated HSM, combining our collective innovation to advance interoperability, accelerate the adoption of post-quantum cryptography, and shape the future of hardware security.”
“An open specification for integrated Hardware Security Module (HSM) capabilities is an important step toward enabling cryptographic operations where data is processed, protecting keys within a hardware security boundary and supporting cryptographic verification of workload integrity,” said Pradeep Vincent, executive vice president, Compute and AI Infrastructure at Oracle. “This effort aims to establish a common foundation for adoption across the industry.”
