Infineon Technologies AG, a provider of smart card payment solutions, and Oslo, Norway-based Next Biometrics, a provider of fingerprint sensor technology, have partnered to create a reference design for biometric payment cards.
According to a press release, the reference platform incorporates all necessary elements to develop and manufacture a smart card with a fingerprint sensor, helping card makers to simplify production processes and shorten time-to-market.
The reference design includes a biometric module, a secure element, an operating system with biometric and payment applets, and a recommended prelamination and lamination method.
"Infineon is committed to enable a secure and convenient payment experience enhanced by fingerprint authentication," said Bjoern Scharfen, head of the Infineon payment and wearables product line. "As a turnkey solution, the reference platform that Infineon jointly developed with Next will drive biometric innovations in the smart card industry and help make digital transactions easier and safer."
"With our leadership in large-area, flexible fingerprint sensor technology and Infineon's semiconductor expertise, we're delivering a complete solution that can be used by smart card makers to add further innovation," Next CEO Ritu Favre said in the release.
"By simplifying development, Infineon and Next are leading the way toward making the use of biometric smart cards pervasive worldwide."
