Secure elements — from SIM to IoT identity chip.
Tamper-resistant silicon has moved from early SIM-card form factors into NFC payment elements, embedded secure elements (eSE), TPMs, eSIM / eUICC, and finally purpose-built IoT trust chips — each step pushed by a new use case and a new threat model.
Timeline
GSM Phase 1 SIM specification (ETSI GSM 11.11)
ETSI’s Phase 1 GSM 11.11 specifies the SIM–ME interface; the ETSI archive records Phase 1 releases from 1992. The subscriber identity module becomes the original mass-deployed secure element, and three decades of SIM iteration begin.
Trusted Computing Platform Alliance formed
Compaq, HP, IBM, Intel and Microsoft found TCPA to specify the Trusted Platform Module. The Trusted Computing Group takes over its work in 2003, and TPM-equipped enterprise PCs ship from 2004.
Java Card 2.1.1 multi-application platform
Sun publishes the Java Card 2.1.1 virtual machine, runtime environment and API specifications. The runtime’s applet firewall isolates applets on the same chip, so multi-application secure elements become practical.
NFC payments reach the handset
Google Wallet launches (September 2011) on the Nexus S 4G for NFC tap-to-pay. Until host card emulation arrives in Android 4.4, Android NFC card emulation runs through a secure element on the device.
Security IC Platform Protection Profile (PP-0084)
BSI certifies the Eurosmart Security IC Platform Protection Profile (BSI-CC-PP-0084-2014, February 2014) at EAL4 augmented (AVA_VAN.5, ALC_DVS.2): the Common Criteria baseline for secure-element silicon. Vendor chip platforms claim it at higher assurance levels, up to EAL6+.
TPM 2.0 library specification
TCG announces the TPM 2.0 library specification (April 2014; Revision 01.16, October 2014): algorithm agility, key hierarchies and authorisation policies; adopted as ISO/IEC 11889:2015. Discrete, integrated and firmware TPMs coexist.
Apple Pay uses a dedicated Secure Element
Apple Pay, announced September 2014 for iPhone 6, stores a device account number in a dedicated chip called the Secure Element. The embedded SE becomes a distinct handset chip.
GSMA consumer eSIM specification (SGP.22)
GSMA publishes SGP.22 v1.0 (January 2016): remote SIM provisioning for consumer devices. The SIM can now be an embedded, remotely provisionable element rather than only a removable card.
Microsoft Pluton announced
Microsoft announces (November 2020) the Pluton security processor, to be built into future AMD, Intel and Qualcomm CPUs. The boundary between SE and CPU softens.
IoT eSIM (GSMA SGP.32)
GSMA SGP.32 v1.0 (May 2023) specifies remote SIM provisioning for network- and UI-constrained IoT devices, managed through an eSIM IoT Remote Manager (eIM), a newer IoT architecture alongside the earlier M2M model of SGP.02.
SE-anchored identity across connected products
Authenticators, automotive identity, eMRTD chips and IoT devices share one foundation: tamper-resistant key custody in a secure element. In AmbiSecure’s stack, FIDO2, PIV, OpenPGP and NDEF applets share one CC EAL6+ secure element across card, USB and embedded form factors, with attestation verified by a tenant-scoped service.
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