At the RSA security conference in San Francisco Tuesday, chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices announced a new, security-enhanced Alchemy Au1550 network processor aimed at bolstering security without bogging down servers and applications.

AMD said the Au1550 -- armed to support both SSL and IPsec virtual private network (VPN) protocols with a true random number generator (RNG) -- is capable of sustaining an unlimited number of VPN tunnels simultaneously, thanks to technology licensed from SafeNet.

AMD said the security features of the network processor address the needs of enterprise customers, which are designing networked environments that require security along with high performance in a low-power processor that costs less.

"We've taken the IP safebox from SafeNet, and moved it into the Au1550 silicon," AMD product marketing manager Rob Oliver told TechNewsWorld. "What would have been two or more chips is now one."

By Jay Lyman at the E-Commerce Times.

[ Read more ]

Related items

• Article: HNS Coverage from the RSA Conference 2004 USA (24 February 2004)