EnSilica has been selected to join the newly formed CHERI Adoption Collective, launched by PA Consulting in collaboration with the U.K. Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions) is a processor technology that enhances cybersecurity at the hardware level by enforcing memory safety. Memory-related vulnerabilities are responsible for around 70 percent of software security issues and underpin many severe cyber incidents. The Collective aims to address this by bringing together leading organisations across the energy, defence, telecommunications and semiconductor sectors to create a more resilient, lower cost and secure-by-design foundation for both legacy and next-generation systems, with minimal software change.
Participants include U.K. infrastructure operators such as BT, National Grid and SSE, alongside industrial and defence partners including EA Technology, Ultra, Hildebrand and Goldilock. EnSilica is one of three named semiconductor supply chain partners.
EnSilica’s participation builds on its EnSura™ secure microcontroller platform, a CHERI-enabled RISC-V architecture with post-quantum cryptography support. The platform is designed to deliver hardware-enforced security and functional safety for applications in critical infrastructure, industrial, automotive and communications markets.
Ian Lankshear, CEO of EnSilica, commented, “We are delighted to be selected to join the Collective alongside leading U.K. infrastructure operators and technology partners. Hardware-enforced memory safety represents a fundamental step change in cybersecurity, and CHERI is set to play a central role in protecting next-generation critical systems.”
Liz Lloyd, baroness Lloyd of Effra, Minister for Digital Economy, commenting on the creation of the CHERI Adoption Collective, said, “Cyber-attacks aren’t abstract threats — they disrupt essential services and put people's most sensitive data at risk. Memory safety bugs are one of the most common routes attackers use to break into systems, so it’s critical that we work together across the economy to tackle them. The CHERI Adoption Collective will keep us at the forefront as those efforts continue - building a safer and more resilient economy for everyone.”