GlobalPlatform unveils open-source Pavona platform with post

GlobalPlatform has introduced Pavona, an open-source silicon distribution designed to support the development of secure semiconductor systems, including integrated post-quantum cryptography (PQC) capabilities.

The platform provides production-grade intellectual property (IP) components and reference designs intended to help developers build secure-by-default silicon. Pavona includes what GlobalPlatform describes as the first openly available PQC stack tailored for embedded silicon.

Two reference designs are included in the initial release: a standalone chip root of trust and an integrated version for chiplet-based architectures. Both designs have been successfully taped out using TSMC’s 3nm (N3) process technology.

The initiative aims to address growing concerns hardware security and the need for resilient systems as cyber threats evolve. Pavona offers a modular framework that allows developers to assemble customised silicon subsystems using a curated library of IP blocks. This approach contrasts with traditional monolithic chip designs, enabling greater flexibility for applications ranging from data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators to automotive systems and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

GlobalPlatform said the platform is aligned with certification standards such as FIPS 140-3 and Common Criteria, supporting requirements for secure hardware design and validation. Twelve founding members, including semiconductor firms, research institutions and technology providers, have committed to the project.

Dominic Rizzo, Governing Board Chair of Pavona and Chief Executive of ZeroRISC, said: “Pavona was designed for collaboration from day one: clear getting-started guides, hardware-native CI, a Yocto-inspired governance model, and silicon-proven designs. This is the maturation of years of open-source silicon development, built for scale.”

He added: “The world faces a rising tide of cyber insecurity, with mounting costs from devices that are fundamentally untrustworthy and vulnerable from design through decommissioning. The foundational answer is secure silicon and silicon itself is becoming critical infrastructure.”

The project emerged from the GlobalPlatform Trusted Open Source Silicon Task Force, which identified the need for a neutral and scalable framework for open-source chip development. Pavona is structured around a governance model similar to established open-source initiatives such as Yocto and Zephyr, combining community-led development with formal oversight.

A key feature of the platform is its integrated cryptographic stack, which includes both classical and post-quantum algorithms. Research presented at Real World Crypto 2026 in Taipei by collaborators including ZeroRISC, the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy and Academia Sinica demonstrated performance gains of between six and nine times for post-quantum algorithms ML-KEM and ML-DSA on embedded hardware. The work also reported improvements in operating frequency of up to 75% without significant increases in chip area.

These advancements have been incorporated into Pavona from its initial release, enabling developers to access production-ready PQC tools without requiring separate integration efforts.

The platform also includes a composition engine, continuous integration (CI) infrastructure and documentation designed to support rapid development. According to GlobalPlatform, developers can build and simulate a reference root-of-trust design within an hour using the available tools.

Pavona is governed by a board of contributing members responsible for funding operations, while an independent technical steering committee oversees the project’s development roadmap. Membership is open across several tiers, including options for commercial organisations, non-profits and academic institutions.

The release reflects increasing industry focus on securing hardware at the silicon level, particularly as the emergence of quantum computing raises concerns the long-term resilience of existing cryptographic systems.