Fingerprint Cards addresses high-security PC biometrics market by developing MCU

Fingerprint Cards is expanding its product portfolio by developing a microcontroller unit (MCU) to provide comprehensive biometric systems for the PC market.

The company is also developing a pair of new fingerprint sensors with different shapes, specifically optimized for PCs.

The project to develop an MCU is supported by Fingerprint Cards’ key customers in the PC segment. The integrated system promises better overall performance, cost optimization, reduced margin stacking and greater control over the supply chain. The latter has been a significant concern for Fingerprint Cards, especially its mobile segment.

Having its own MCU will also give Fingerprint Cards a more refined ‘Match-on-Chip’ solution for PCs, which are common in enterprise PCs and have a higher average selling price than other solutions. This segment makes up about half of the company’s addressable market for PCs, according to the announcement.

Fingerprint Cards anticipates that new requirements from Microsoft will boost the market for Match-on-Chip biometric solutions. Those requirements are for suppliers of biometric solutions for Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security to provide matching on chip, and are expected to take force next year. The company was added to Microsoft’s approved vendors list for Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security earlier this year.

“Developing our own MCU is a significant step for Fingerprints, as it will create additional customer value,” says Haiyuan Bu, president of mobile, PC and access China at Fingerprint Cards. “Offering a comprehensive Match-on-Chip biometric system solution allows us to optimize system performance and cost structure. The primary market is the PC segment, but there are other interesting applications in access control and IoT systems. We expect to start customer engagements during the second half of 2023.”

Logical access control card integration

A new card solution for digital access control from Valmido, the ProFIDO Bio, is being made with a biometric sensor from Fingerprint Cards.

Valmido is a France-based startup, and its digital access control card is a FIDO2 hardware authenticator, according to the announcement. Typical use cases include Windows logins and passwordless website authentication, the partners say.

“Thanks to a partnership with Fingerprints, Valmido enables getting rid of passwords with the highest security level and yet superior user experience. With our multi-purpose device based on biometrics and 21st century connectivity, citizens and corporations stay in control of their digital credentials. Phishing-resistant authentication based on FIDO passwordless solution, is making password- and PIN-related problems history,” says Marc Muller, CTO of Valmido.

Share and vote increase

Fingerprint Cards has also announced an increase in the numbers of shares issued and corresponding votes related to its recent rights issue.

In the course of raising SEK 305 million (roughly $US29.3 million), the company increased the number of A-shares by 1.875 million and B-shares by 84.3 million. Each A-share is worth 10 votes, while each B-share is worth one.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  biometrics  |  consumer electronics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  Fingerprint Cards  |  fingerprint sensors  |  laptops