What it is. SF-1 is India's first post-quantum-native sovereign Platform Root-of-Trust (PRoT) System-on-Chip — a dedicated hardware-security "sidecar" that independently verifies platform firmware integrity, custodies cryptographic keys, and provides remote attestation for critical infrastructure.

The problem. India's AI, banking, defence and grid systems today root their trust in foreign-designed security chips and HSMs (Thales, Entrust, Utimaco) that cannot be audited — creating backdoor and key-custody risk. There is no domestic, open-source-auditable, post-quantum-ready trust anchor.

How it works. SF-1 boots and measures the platform before the host, attests firmware over standard SPDM/MCTP, custodies post-quantum keys (ML-DSA-87 / ML-KEM-1024), and enforces governance directly in silicon — including a hierarchical multi-operator quorum kill-switch, a hardware-signed append-only audit log, and a sub-3-nanosecond tamper-to-zeroize response.

One die, many markets. A single Rev-1 die carries up to 16 software-defined "personalities" signed by the SF-1 root of trust:

• Sovereign BFSI HSM (RBI / NPCI / UIDAI key custody)
• Defence Root-of-Trust (IDDM)
• Smart-grid / RDSS security
• Telecom (ITSAR) and CCTV (ER-01) security
• Sovereign PQC-native TPM

Built on open IP, made in India. SHAKTI RISC-V, Caliptra 2.1 and Adams Bridge PQC, fabricated on 55nm — MPW prototype at PSMC followed by production tape-out at the Tata India fab on the same node (no design port).

Status. Full chip validated in simulation (GATE-2 sign-off), synthesised and place-and-routed on FPGA with zero errors; board bring-up in progress. DPIIT-recognised (DIPP270956); patent portfolio catalogued with counsel.

Why it wins. The only trust anchor that is simultaneously India-controlled, gate-level auditable and quantum-ready — at 20–80× lower cost than incumbent HSMs, enabling per-rack and per-node deployment.