Advanced data encryption and a secure operating system running on the smart card stops unwanted discovery and corruption of private data, thus preventing consumer fraud and preserving personal privacy. We will implement the SmartMIPS architecture in a new generation of 32-bit smart cards to maintain our industry leadership position. MIPS Technologies, together with the market leader Gemplus, has created the SmartMIPS architecture which provides fast, efficient cryptography and code compression to efficiently store larger programs, optimized for tomorrow's operating system platforms such as Sun Microsystems' Java Card technology and Microsoft's Windows for Smart Card. These are the features that will make the cards secure, flexible, easy to use and more attractive to consumers and businesses. In the U.S., the most widespread application of smart cards to date is as employee key cards that verify an employee's identity and control access to company facilities.
Most users though are unaware they are using a smart card.
As an access-control device, smart cards make personal and business data available only to the appropriate users. Although most commonly embedded in plastic cards, smart cards are also found in tags, fobs and watches and can even be embedded in packaged liquids and implanted into animals. According to market research firm Dataquest, more than 500 million microprocessor-based smart cards were shipped in 1999. Dataquest forecasts by 2004 more than 1.75 billion microprocess-based smart cards will be shipped. The first push in the U.S. is likely to come from forward-thinking financial, retail, and service institutions.