ARM to Develop Distributed-Ledger-Embedded Chips for Internet-of-Things Network Minima

Minima, a blockchain designed to manage transactions across the internet of things (IoT) comprising mobile phones, cars and other devices is working with semiconductor giant ARM to develop a microchip with a decentralized ledger embedded in it.

Under the agreement, announced Tuesday, Minima will work with ARM’s Flexible Access Program, which gives 70 or so startups access to the hardware giant’s intellectual property portfolio and chip design system. The “Minima Chip” will provide each device with a secure node capable of verifying data, generating tokens, enabling peer-to-peer messaging and generally bringing “blockchain everywhere,” the companies said.

The concept of IoT and blockchain first emerged with projects like IOTA, and the idea has become part of a wider trend in crypto known as decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), which includes use cases around telecoms (Helium) and storage (Filecoin).

Much of Minima’s effort to date has been in the auto industry, working with companies such as Volvo, running full nodes within the head units of cars to underpin things like telemetry data attestation, battery passports and enhancing EV charging flexibility using tokens generated by private wallbox charging devices.

Blockchain-embedded chips offer a sleek and secure design approach, as opposed to initial testing phases in a sandbox, when it’s fine to download software, said Minima CEO Hugo Feiler. For live enterprise deployment, it’s preferable to isolate the operations of the blockchain from the complexity of an existing tech stack by having it captured on a chip, he said.

Having each device do proof of work also brings a guarantee of decentralization, although the actual mining happens in a much more collaborative manner using the Minima consensus system, Feiler said.

He used the analogy of a motorway as a “classic example of a permissionless network.”

“It’s the road that everyone has to use, and you’ve got Volvos, Audis and Teslas etc that don’t trust each other, but they have to be able to trust the information and the data that is coming from those devices,” Feiler said in an interview. “So it’s about enabling secure communication between those vehicles, and transparent value as well, such as deployment across EV charging infrastructure.”

Neil Parris, ARM’s director of partner success and business models, said the access program accelerates startup innovation and time to market.

“With ARM Flexible Access, new players like Minima gain a streamlined, cost-efficient route to prototype development, giving them the freedom to experiment and design with confidence,” Parris said in a statement.