Samsung Unveils ‘S3B512C Chip’, Fingerprint Security Chip For Payment Cards, More

Samsung has unveiled the S3B512C chip which it calls the "industry's first" all-in-one fingerprint security chip (IC) for payment cards.

Samsung said that the S3B512C chip is primarily designed for payment cards and to read biometric information via a fingerprint sensor, stores and authenticates data with a tamper-proof secure element (SE), analyses it with a secure processor and it could also be used for "student or employee identification, membership or building access."

The new chip is expected to make work easier for banks and others to make biometric payment cards. The solution performs in line with Mastercard's latest security specifications for payment cards, while also conforming to international security standards (CC EAL 6+) for "protecting high-value assets against significant risks," according to Samsung.

The new S3B512C chipset may adopt a new security chipset from Samsung’s LSI business rather than using Mastercard’S tech.

The chip is also expected to allow for "faster and safer interactions when making purchases," Samsung notes. It removes the need for a PIN code and even uses anti-spoofing technology to block fraudulent methods like artificial fingerprints.