Munich, Taipei, October 1, 2009 - Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) and Phison, the Taiwanese global market leader in flash and USB controller technology, are joining forces to develop and market secure flash products. Their joint venture - Giesecke & Devrient Secure Flash Solutions GmbH - will be headquartered in Munich (Germany) and will have a second office in Taipei (Taiwan). It will develop and market hardware-based security solutions for mobile end devices, for example in the form of microSD cards and USB tokens. G&D will hold a 70 percent majority stake in the joint venture.
Mobile end devices for communications and multi-media applications such as notebooks, cell phones, mobile TV equipment and games consoles have become an integral part of everyday life. These applications make it necessary to protect the digital identity of the user. At the same time, mobile transactions made using the equipment and data stored on it also need to be protected against unauthorized access. Giesecke & Devrient Secure Flash Solutions will offer security solutions that cover these market demands and are designed for special applications such as the encryption of e-mails or cell phone conversations, or mobile pay-TV.
Dr. Kai Grassie, head of the New Business division at G&D, says: "The joint venture marries G&D's expertise in security solutions with Phison's expertise in flash and USB controllers. Secure microSD cards and secure USB tokens generate secure applications which will help us conquer new markets."
Mr. K.S. Pua, the Chairman of Phison, comments: "For years we've had very good access to the mass market for flash storage products. This joint venture is a strategic decision. Combining forces with Giesecke & Devrient puts us in a position to meet our clients' increased demands for security when it comes to storage solutions."
Already a market success, the Mobile Security Card developed by G&D using flash controller technology from Phison is a good example of such solutions. In future, the Mobile Security Card will be further developed by Giesecke & Devrient Secure Flash Solutions and marketed by the joint venture. New generations of the Mobile Security Card (e.g. for contactless applications) and other secure flash products are already under development.
Potential clients include manufacturers and other providers who are interested in integrating secure applications into mobile end devices. These may be PC and mobile equipment manufacturers, system integrators, retailers and/or providers of access systems for mobile TV applications.
The implementation of the agreement between G&D and Phison is subject to approval by the competent authorities. You can find further information about Giesecke & Devrient Secure Flash Solutions on the joint venture's new website at www.gd-sfs.com & www.phison.com
