HID Global, a worldwide provider of trusted identity solutions, today announced that it has expanded its HID SOMA chip operating system (COS) family with the addition of SOMA c016 on NXP Semiconductors' new SmartMX3 microcontroller. HID is the industry’s first to certify a native COS on NXP’s newest generation SmartMX3 platform to Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 5+ (EAL5+).

“This accomplishment is in line with our commitment to proposing our renowned SOMA technologies with an extended array of leading hardware platforms from which our customers can choose,” said Manuel Deloche, VP of product management, product marketing and software engineering, Citizen Identity, HID Global. “We are also proud to be the first ID solution provider to port and certify the SOMA COS on the newest P71 microcontroller, for which NXP provided excellent support.”

With a 15-year track record serving the specific needs of secure electronic documents, the HID SOMA chip operating system family has been used in some of the most successful citizen identification programs since 2005, from ICAO eMRTD to digital signature applications, and has repeatedly been a top performer at various international interoperability tests. 

“We are pleased that HID has certified their HID SOMA COS operating system on NXP's SmartMX3 platform. The successful collaboration between NXP and HID reflects both companies’ commitment to providing secure e-government solutions,” said Pierre Rouillac, marketing director of secure identification at NXP Semiconductors. “This certification also establishes that the combination of our NXP P71D321 security controller and the HID SOMA COS has successfully passed the rigorous common criteria security testing.”

The HID SOMA COS lineup notably integrates with HID Integrale e-Document issuance and lifecycle management suite tailored for ICAO e-Passports, multi-application national ID cards, resident permits and driver’s licenses.

Click here for more information about the HID SOMA COS certification and Common Criteria guidelines for the NXP P71D320 security controller.