Texas-based Silicon Labs has debuted its Series 3 Secure Vault security subsystem on the SiXG301 SoC, the first SoC in the portfolio to achieve the PSA level-four certification.

This achievement – the highest level recognised by PSA Certified – affirms Silicon Labs’ legacy of embedding trust at the core of connected technology.

“Security isn’t just a feature, it’s foundational to everything we develop,” said Matt Johnson, CEO of Silicon Labs. “Being the first to achieve PSA level-four certification is a powerful validation of our leadership in IoT security and our focus on accelerating IoT growth.”

PSA Certified (www.psacertified.org) introduced the level-four certification and its two designations, iSE/SE for secure elements and RoT for Root of Trust, to address the rising complexity and sophistication of physical attacks on embedded devices. Unlike previous levels, level four validates resilience against laser fault injection, side-channel attacks, microprobing and voltage manipulation, threats once considered theoretical but now part of the evolving reality.

The MG21 SoC was the first device to earn PSA level-three certification, establishing benchmarks in protection against physical tampering and setting the stage for this leap to level four. The firm’s SoCs were also the industry’s first to reach PSA levels one and two.

Silicon Labs collaborated with Keysight Technologies, a design, emulation and test company with test and evaluation labs, to validate Secure Vault on Series 3 for PSA level four. Its experts noted the partnership with Silicon Labs’ engineering team, who demonstrated technical expertise and adaptability throughout the audit process.

“Keysight is proud to have supported Silicon Labs in achieving the world’s first PSA level-four certification,” said Marc Witteman, technical director at Keysight Technologies (www.keysight.com). “Our advanced testing methodologies, including side-channel analysis and fault injection, were instrumental to validating the Series 3 Secure Vault on the SiXG301’s resilience against today’s most sophisticated threats. This milestone reflects our commitment to helping innovators like Silicon Labs meet the highest levels of security assurance and regulatory readiness in a rapidly evolving IoT landscape.”

The resilience isn’t just about meeting today’s standards, it’s about anticipating future threats. The security subsystem and SoC were engineered to endure over a decade in the field, with defences against threats not yet commonplace. When combined with over-the-air firmware and software updates and real-time monitoring, Series 3 Secure Vault and the SiXG301 exemplify security as an ongoing lifecycle, not a one-time event.

The Series 3 platform, made on a 22nm process node, builds upon Silicon Labs’ Series 2 security legacy and scales it with PSA level-four capabilities. All Series 3 devices are planned to feature this enhanced security foundation, with the SiXG301 expected to be the first to market with PSA level-four certification when it becomes generally available this quarter.

As governments around the globe enact regulations – such as the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive (RED) and CRA, the US Cyber Trust Mark, and Singapore’s Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) – Silicon Labs says it is ready to help device makers align with emerging mandates. Its holistic approach to security and expert guidance gives product teams a headstart on regulatory readiness and consumer trust, backed by independent lab validation.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Silicon Labs (www.silabs.com) has operations in 16 countries and is a partner for innovations in the smart home, industrial IoT and smart cities markets.