Tiny cryptographic 'chip of everything' aims to eliminate counterfeiting-
[siliconrepublic.com]

MIT researchers have invented a cryptographic ID tag that’s small enough to fit on virtually any product and verify its authenticity. Counterfeiters tend to go to great lengths to source products from all over the world – through complex routes – to make it hard to verify a product’s origin.

This means companies can end up with imitation parts, with $2trn of counterfeit goods estimated to be sold worldwide. While RFID tags are becoming increasingly popular as a way of authenticating parts, they are too large to fit on tiny objects such as silicon chips or medical components.

However, a new study described a millimetre-sized chip that runs on relatively low levels of solar power. It transmits data at great distances hundreds of times higher than RFIDs using a ‘backscatter’ technique.

The chip can also run a popular cryptography scheme that guarantees secure communication using extremely low energy.