The Zero Trust Hardware Imperative

doc_id: AVT-STR-2025-001 date: Q4 2025 classification: PUBLIC author: Alpha Vector Advanced Projects status: VALIDATED

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Executive Summary

The Chokepoint: The global semiconductor supply chain represents a concentrated geopolitical chokepoint. The majority of leading-edge logic chips (<7nm) are manufactured in a single region, and critical materials are controlled by a few key players.

The Risk: This extreme concentration creates existential risk to digital infrastructure. Every server, smartphone, weapons system, and critical infrastructure component depends on a supply chain that could be disrupted by kinetic conflict, economic coercion, or supply chain interdiction.

Axiomatic Reference

Strategic Insight: The Zero Trust Hardware (ZTH) framework challenges the assumption that hardware is inviolable, proposing an architecture where systems can operate securely even with potentially compromised components.

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1. The Silicon Sovereignty Crisis

1.1 Historical Evolution: How We Got Here

• .1960s-1980s (US Dominance): Intel, AMD, Motorola dominated. 37% of global wafer fab capacity in USA (1990).
• .1990s-2000s (The Fabless Transition): Rise of Qualcomm, NVIDIA. TSMC founded (1987) creating the pure-play foundry model.
• .2010s (The Great Divergence): TSMC and Samsung eclipse Intel in process technology. 0% of leading-edge chips made in USA by 2020.
• .2020-2025 (Geopolitical Awakening): COVID shortages, Export Controls, and the CHIPS Act mark the return of industrial policy.

1.2 The Taiwan Dependency

Taiwan Semiconductor Concentration (2025):

• .TSMC Market Share: 54% of global foundry market.
• .Leading-Edge (<7nm) Share: 92% concentration.
• .Key Customers: Apple, NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm, Amazon.

Axiomatic Reference

Critical Reality: As of Q4 2025, the U.S. relies heavily on Taiwan and South Korea for advanced processors used in AI, defense, and critical infrastructure.

1.3 The Supply Chain Chokepoints

• .Leading-Edge Logic (<7nm): Critical National Security Impact. No immediate substitutability (5-10 year lag).
• .Advanced Packaging: High concentration in Asia. High impact.
• .Memory (DRAM): South Korea (71%), China (15%). Moderate impact.
• .Rare Earths: China (80% mining, 95% processing). Critical impact.
• .EUV Lithography: Netherlands (ASML 100%). Critical impact.
• .Chip Design Tools (EDA): USA (95%). Critical impact (US Advantage).

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2. Zero Trust Hardware (ZTH) Architecture

2.1 The Philosophy of ZTH

Assumption of Compromise: We must assume that hardware is compromised. Whether through state-actor interdiction, insider threat, or counterfeit components.

Core Principles:

1. .Hardware Diversity: Use heterogenous compute substrates (e.g., mix of x86, ARM, RISC-V).
2. .Trust Anchors: Root of trust must be verifiable and diversified.
3. .Encrypted Computation: Data must remain encrypted even during processing (Homomorphic Encryption, TEEs).

2.2 Technical Implementation

The "Cleanroom" Hypervisor:

• .A formally verified micro-kernel running on a trusted, simple core (e.g., FPGA or verified RISC-V).
• .Orchestrates workloads to untrusted, high-performance "dirty" cores (e.g., compromised GPU/CPU).
• .Verifies outputs statistically or via redundant computation.

Redundant Heterogenous Compute:

• .Execute the same critical instruction on an Intel CPU, an AMD ID, and a custom RISC-V core.
• .If results diverge, the system halts or votes (Byzantine Fault Tolerance for hardware).

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3. The Path Forward: Strategic Resiliency

3.1 The CHIPS Act Assessment (2025 Status)

• .Progress: Several fabs under construction (Intel Ohio, TSMC Arizona, Samsung Texas).
• .Gap: "Leading edge" in US fabs (5nm/4nm) lags behind Taiwan (2nm/1.4nm pilot).
• .Workforce: Critical shortage of process engineers remains the bottleneck.

3.2 Policy Recommendations

1. .Diversify All Layers: Not just logic fabs. Packaging, substrate, and raw materials must be diversified to India, Mexico, and Europe.
2. .Invest in Post-Silicon: Photonic computing, Quantum, and DNA storage are the next battlegrounds. Leapfrog the silicon plateau.
3. .Mandate ZTH for Critical Infrastructure: Defense, Grid, and Finance systems must be resilient to hardware kill-switches.

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4. Conclusion

The era of trusted global supply chains is over. While re-shoring efforts are vital, they are a decade-long project. In the interim, we must architect our systems to survive on "hostile silicon."

Axiomatic Reference

Strategic Mandate: Resilience does not come from perfect hardware; it comes from perfect architecture that creates reliability from unreliable components.

Contact: [email protected]