Computer chips drive the technologies we rely on every day, from smartphones to medical devices. Yet many chips remain vulnerable to hardware-level attacks that can compromise privacy, safety and security.

Three University of Delaware researchers are leading a new effort, supported by a National Science Foundation grant, to make the chips that power modern technology more secure from the start, rather than relying on safeguards added later.

Satwik Patnaik, Chengmo Yang and Nektarios Tsoutsos, faculty in UD’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, are guiding the project to develop approaches for secure chip design. 

“Today’s chips power everything around us, be it mobile phones, vehicles or advanced infrastructure,” said Patnaik, assistant professor and the project’s principal investigator. “This project will build security into the blueprint of the chip, using a combination of artificial intelligence, game theory and cryptography to anticipate attacks before they happen and propose secure design strategies to counter threats.”

Most security measures are added late in the design process, like an afterthought. 

“Think of it like building a bank vault. You wouldn't construct the entire building and only then ask a security expert how to bolt a lock on the door,” said Tsoutsos, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “You’d have the expert help design the reinforced walls, the complex locking mechanism, and the secure foundation from day one.”

Using AI to anticipate threats

The UD team is developing a smart design assistant that uses artificial intelligence to predict and neutralize threats before a chip is built.

“The frontline of cybersecurity has moved from software to the physical chips themselves,” said Yang, professor of electrical and computer engineering. “We’re pioneering the use of state-of-the-art AI as a strategic advantage. We’re essentially teaching our design tools to think like an attacker — to anticipate, simulate and neutralize threats before a single piece of hardware is ever manufactured.”

Strengthening UD’s cybersecurity leadership

This project supports UD’s strategic priorities in computing, national security and workforce development.

“This project is a perfect example of how our department combines advanced computing research with real-world impact,” said Hui Fang, professor and interim department chair. “It strengthens our leadership in hardware and cybersecurity and directly aligns with UD’s commitment to innovation in national and global security.”

Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in this research, present their findings at national conferences and collaborate with industry and government partners.

Looking ahead, the team aims to create an open-source framework for secure hardware design that could help set new global standards.

“This NSF award allows us to take a proactive approach to hardware security, and to develop and share new tools and knowledge that will help both researchers and industry build safer, more trustworthy systems,” Patnaik said.

Their project is supported by a medium research grant from NSF’s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program.