📋 Tender Overview
7.9 million will go to 10 projects that will enrich and expand the digital security by design DSbD software ecosystem.A new more secure processor architecture has been developed in the prototype Morello hardware board.Development of this ecosystem will ensure security benefits of the prototype will enable the broader market adoption once the technology is commercially available.The projects will be based at institutions and companies across the UK.New age of digital securityThey will usher in a new age of digital security by designing software and hardware from the bottom up to be more resistant to attacks.UK Research and Innovations DSbD challenge Director John Goodacre saidCyber security breaches cost the UK economy billions of pounds yet instead of addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities we find ourselves locked in a never-ending arms race of attack and patch.The aim of the digital security by design challenge is to break free of this arms race by ensuring secure design is baked in from the beginning preventing the exploitation of vulnerabilities in the software by adding more security in the hardware.Building a software ecosystem before commercialisation of the Morello board concepts is key to their success.It will ensure DSbD becomes the norm when developing both hardware and software.Correcting a market failureRealising DSbD is fundamentally constrained by the way processors execute software something which has remained the same for decades.The sheer scale of computing means that unless a new chip will have software to run it wont be built.Likewise those that write software will target the chips that are already built.This is a clear market failure that has meant any changes seen so far in a processor architecture are in-addition or around the fundamental approach to how it runs software.Accelerating software availabilityThrough this 7.9 million of funding the programme seeks to accelerate the availability of software using the recently available hardware prototype and break this market failure.The projects and organisations funded through this competition will expand and enrich the software ecosystem that will ultimately enable the use of this technology in a broad variety of scenarios.Digital security by designLast year 46 of UK businesses reported cyber-attacks or breaches.Cyber-attacks cost small and nano businesses 175 million last year in Greater Manchester alone 56000 small businesses were attacked of which 12000 were attacked weekly.The DSbD programme is working with industry academia and government to implement a step change in digital security.Re-thinking how computers run softwareIt is re-thinking how computers run software and built to be inherently more secure from cyber-attacks.This could save the British economy billions.Through the DSbD programme Arm working with the University of Cambridge has created a new technology platform prototype known as the Morello board.This new hardware technology is expected to prevent around 70 of ongoing vulnerabilities from exploitation while providing new capabilities for software to deliver a much safer and more secure digital world.
