# US 2026/0074915 A1 · Method and hardware for accelerated test-data authentication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2026/0074915 A1 - Document ID: US20260074915A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/828,392 - Filed: 2024-09-09 - Published: 2026-03-12 - Earliest claimed: 2024-09-09 - Assignees: NVIDIA Corporation - Applicants: NVIDIA Corporation - Inventors: Mahmut Yilmaz; Smbat Tonoyan; Sailendra Chadalavada; Mengyun Liu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260074915A1 ## CPC - H04L 9/3249: {using RSA or related signature schemes, e.g. Rabin scheme} - H04L 9/3239: {involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD} - H04L 9/3247: {involving digital signatures} - H04L 9/50: {using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees} - H04L 2209/26: Testing cryptographic entity, e.g. testing integrity of encryption key or encryption algorithm - H04L 2209/84: Vehicles - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract An integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed. In one embodiment, the IC comprises a memory and at least one processing core coupled to the memory. In one embodiment, the operations the at least one processing core operatively coupled to the memory perform comprise storing final hashes of each block chain authentication (BCA) section of an in-system test (IST) image in a write-protected portion of the memory; receiving at least one Public Key Authentication (PKA) signature; authenticating the at least one PKA signature using public key cryptography (PKC) algorithm; once the PKA signature is authenticated, using the final hash for each BCA section to authenticate a portion of the IST image associated with each BCA section using a hash engine of the at least one processing core skipping any PKA signature checks for any of the final hashes; and testing portions of the IC with the authenticated IST image portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An integrated circuit (IC) comprising: a memory; and at least one processing core, operatively coupled to the memory to perform operations comprising: storing final hashes of each block chain authentication (BCA) section of an in-system test (IST) image in a write-protected portion of the memory; receiving at least one Public Key Authentication (PKA) signature; authenticating the at least one PKA signature using a public key cryptography (PKC) algorithm; once the PKA signature is authenticated, using the final hash for each BCA section to authenticate a portion of the IST image associated with each BCA section while skipping PKA signature checks for any of the final hashes; and testing portions of the IC with the authenticated IST image portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The IC as recited in claim 1, wherein there are multiple PKA signatures received and authenticated. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The IC as recited in claim 1, wherein when a number of final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image is greater than a threshold area of the memory, the operations further include indexing a set of the final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image that fits within the threshold area of the memory. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The IC as recited in claim 3, wherein when a requested final hash for a BCA section of the IST image is not within the indexed set of final hashes, the operations further include re-fetching another set of final hashes which includes the requested final hash for the BCA section of the IST image and loading a new indexed set of final hashes centered around the requested final hash for the BCA section of the IST image that fits within the threshold area of the memory. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The IC as recited in claim 1, wherein when a number of final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image is greater than a threshold, the operations further include categorizing the final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image and selecting, using a Merkle tree, a set of final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image that fits within a threshold area of the memory. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The IC as recited in claim 1, wherein the IST is a run-time IST where some portion of the IC is tested while the rest of the IC continues its functional operation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The IC as recited in claim 1, wherein the IST image comprises a plurality of test sequences, some of which are shared between other processing cores of the at least one processing core. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The IC as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of test sequences has a different order than other ones of the plurality of test sequences. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The IC as recited in claim 7, wherein a test identifier (TID) stores scheduled sequences of the plurality of test sequences. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The IC as recited in claim 1, wherein the PKC algorithm is a Rivet-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: storing final hashes of each block chain authentication (BCA) section of an in-system test (IST) image for an integrated circuit (IC) in a write-protected portion of a memory of the IC; receiving at least one Public Key Authentication (PKA) signature; authenticating the at least one PKA signature using a public key cryptography (PKC) algorithm; once the PKA signature is authenticated, using the final hash for each BCA section to authenticate a portion of the IST image associated with each BCA section while skipping PKA signature checks for any of the final hashes; and testing portions of the IC with the authenticated IST image portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, wherein there are multiple PKA signatures received and authenticated. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, wherein when a number of final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image is greater than a threshold area of the memory, further comprising indexing a set of the final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image that fits within the threshold area of the memory. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method as recited in claim 13, wherein when a requested final hash for a BCA section of the IST image is not within the indexed set of final hashes, further comprising re-fetching another set of final hashes which includes the requested final hash for the BCA section of the IST image and loading a new indexed set of final hashes centered around the requested final hash for the BCA section of the IST image that fits within the threshold area of the memory. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, wherein when a number of final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image is greater than a threshold, further comprising categorizing the final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image and selecting, using a Merkle tree, a set of final hashes of each BCA section of the IST image that fits within a threshold area of the memory. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the IST is a run-time IST where some portion of the IC is tested while the rest of the IC continues its functional operation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the IST image comprises a plurality of test sequences, some of which are shared between processing cores of IC. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of test sequences is ordered differently than other ones of the plurality of test sequences. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method as recited in claim 17, wherein a test identifier (TID) stores scheduled sequences of the plurality of test sequences. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the PKC algorithm is a Rivet-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm. ### Claim 21 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising: storing final hashes of each block chain authentication (BCA) section of an in-system test (IST) image for an integrated circuit (IC) in a write-protected portion of a memory of the IC; receiving at least one Public Key Authentication (PKA) signature; authenticating the at least one PKA signature using a public key cryptography (PKC) algorithm; once the PKA signature is authenticated, using the final hash for each BCA section to authenticate a portion of the IST image associated with each BCA section while skipping PKA signature checks for any of the final hashes; and testing portions of the IC with the authenticated IST image portion. ### Claim 22 An autonomous driving system comprising a plurality of integrated circuits (ICs), wherein at least one of the plurality of ICs comprises: a memory; and at least one processing core, operatively coupled to the memory to perform operations comprising: storing final hashes of each block chain authentication (BCA) section of an automotive run-time in-system test (RIST) image in a write-protected portion of the memory; receiving at least one Public Key Authentication (PKA) signature; authenticating the at least one PKA signature using a public key cryptography (PKC) algorithm; once the PKA signature is authenticated, using the final hash for each BCA section to authenticate a portion of the automotive RIST image associated with each BCA section while skipping PKA signature checks for any of the final hashes; and testing portions of the at least one of the plurality of ICs with the authenticated automotive RIST image portion. ### Claim 23 A server of a data center, the server comprising a plurality of integrated circuits (ICs), wherein at least one of the plurality of ICs comprises: a memory; and at least one processing core, operatively coupled to the memory to perform operations comprising: storing final hashes of each block chain authentication (BCA) section of a run-time in-system test (RIST) image for the at least one processing core of the server of the data center in a write-protected portion of the memory; receiving at least one Public Key Authentication (PKA) signature; authenticating the at least one PKA signature using a public key cryptography (PKC) algorithm; once the PKA signature is authenticated, using the final hash for each BCA section to authenticate a portion of the RIST image for the at least one processing core of the server of the data center associated with each BCA section while skipping PKA signature checks for any of the final hashes; and testing portions of the at least one of the plurality of ICs with the authenticated RIST image portion for the at least one processing core of the server of the data center.