The UK government has announced a significant £21 million investment to accelerate the development of CHERI, a new cyber-secure hardware capable of stopping up to 70% of common cyber attacks before they take effect
The funding supports the commercialisation of Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions (CHERI), an advanced technology that builds protection directly into computer processors.
Innovate UK and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology support CHERI. It aims to embed these enhanced defences into devices used across the country, from everyday consumer products to the systems that power national infrastructure.
Hardware-level defence for a better digital future
Traditional cyberattacks often exploit software vulnerabilities and typically remain difficult and costly to mitigate.
CHERI takes a different approach by integrating memory-safety protections directly into processor hardware. This helps shut down numerous attack techniques that rely on corrupting or hijacking software, offering stronger and more reliable defence than software-only solutions.
By placing protection at the heart of a device’s architecture, CHERI has the potential to significantly reduce risks across various sectors, including healthcare, transportation, energy, and advanced manufacturing. These investments aim to ensure that these benefits are incorporated into commercial products quickly and consistently.
Two competitions driving CHERI adoption
To accelerate real-world deployment, Innovate UK has announced the winners of two major funding competitions.
Nearly £15 million from the Advancing CHERI RISC-V Devices competition will support three UK-based organisations in bringing CHERI-enabled chips to market:
- EnSilica is developing a single-chip Ethernet I/O Aggregator microcontroller suited for next-generation secure vehicles and industrial automation.
- SCI Semiconductor is developing a high-performance processor with built-in post-quantum cryptography and integrated AI/ML capabilities for use in critical national infrastructure applications.
- LowRISC, advancing a CHERI-enabled version of its CVA6 RISC-V processor core for use in future high-security platforms, including OpenTitan.
Supporting software ecosystems
A further £6.1 million has been awarded to five projects creating tools and software essential for developers working with CHERI technology:
- SCI Semiconductor, delivering developer toolkits including CHERI-aware analysis for C/C++ and full Rust support.
- The University of Manchester is creating MicrOS, a lightweight operating system designed for secure embedded devices.
- Capabilities Limited, preparing CHERI’s security features for integration into the mainstream FreeBSD operating system.
- The University of Birmingham is extending CHERI memory-safe capabilities to the popular Zephyr real-time operating system.
- Sensor IT is building a secure gateway to protect industrial control systems, particularly those using legacy protocols such as RS-485 and Modbus.
The government’s investment works with the UK’s ambition to remain a leader in cybersecurity. The sector is now valued at £13.2 billion and continues to grow across the country, including in the North West, which accounts for around 10% of UK cyber jobs. By supporting innovators in regions like Greater Manchester, the initiative is helping drive national resilience while accelerating the path from research to commercial deployment.
Overall, this investment will strengthen the UK’s technology supply chain, ensuring businesses have access to secure, commercially ready processors and tools. As CHERI-enabled devices become more widespread, consumers, businesses, and critical infrastructure operators will benefit from stronger built-in protections designed to counter both current and emerging cyber threats.
