Microsoft teamed up with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm to work on a new security chip. Code-named Pluton, the chip helps thwart exploits like Spectre and Meltdown.
Microsoft is teaming up with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm to work on a new security chip that will be integrated directly into the CPU die on Windows PCs. Code-named “Pluton,” the chip aims to help make upcoming laptops and desktops more secure, and prevent attacks or security exploits like Spectre and Meltdown, which plagued the PC industry in 2018. According to Microsoft, this new “Pluton” chip is based on a chip-to-cloud technology, which is already seen in Xbox game consoles and Microsoft’s Azure Sphere. Essentially, that means the chip is able to eliminate the bus interface between a laptop or desktop’s CPU and the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), where Windows stores security keys and other things to verify the integrity of the system.
