As a global leader in semiconductors, Infineon Technologies is well positioned to develop solutions in the field of Near Field Communication (NFC), a segment it has been active in for more than a decade. With the growing use of NFC-enabled technologies, Infineon recently launched its NFC4TCxxx tag, which meet high security requirements for proving authenticity, as well as the NFC 2Go starter kit for brand protection.

Gautam Chinagundi, product manager for Near Field Communication (NFC) at Infineon Technologies, noted that Infineon Technologies is a top worldwide supplier of semiconductor solutions used for efficient energy management, smart mobility and secure, seamless communications linking the real and digital world.

“It is also one of the world’s oldest chip firms, with its roots dating to pioneering work in semiconductor technology more than 60 years ago as part of Siemens,” Chinagundi added. “The current company, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Munich, Germany, reported revenue of about €11.1 billion in the 2021 fiscal year (ending 30 September) with around 50,280 employees worldwide.”

NFC has been an area where Infineon has utilized its expertise in semiconductors.

“Infineon has been a key provider of NFC products for more than a decade, offering solutions for such applications as for ticketing, payment and ID,” Chinagundi noted.

There are three key stakeholders in the retail chain: brand owners, retailers and consumers. Chinagundi said that the new NFC4TCxxx tags offers key benefits to each of the stakeholders, beginning with anti-counterfeiting.

“The NFC4TCxxx tags work on crypto-based mutual authentication between the NFC tag and the NFC-enabled phone connected to a cloud. This helps the consumer to distinguish a real product from a fake one. This in turn protects the Brand image,” Chinagundi reported.

Traceability is another benefit. Chinagundi said that each NFC tag comes with a Unique Identifier that can be tracked along the supply chain and the corresponding data can be stored in a cloud/blockchain. 

“Producers can set up this traceability so that the customer, with a simple tap of the phone, can trace the entire journey of the product from source to store thereby proving the authenticity of the product,” said Chinagundi. “Also, this real-time supply chain data can be used by the retailers and distributors for better inventory management. In addition, traceability makes the process of reverse logistics easier for the channel partners and the brands.”

Brand communication and customer analytics are also key.

“NFC tags can be programmed with additional data on the product and service, such as the raw materials used along with info on their sources, expiry date, date of next service etc.,” Chinagundi noted. “This data can be read with a simple tap by supply chain partners and even the end customer if granted access by the producer.

“The unique data of each customer can be used by the brands to understand the customer behavior and accordingly fine-tune their product offering,” added Chinagundi. “Customer-initiated authentication of a purchased product is accomplished by scanning the tag with an app, which sends a privatized, Unique Identifier to the cloud. A producer also can set up post-purchase engagement programs on a customer opt-in basis. This allows brands to customize their online marketing campaigns to invite the customers to special events, launches, or trials enabling repeat sales.”

Chinagundi noted that Infineon’s NFC4TCxxx tags are based on CIPURSETM open standard security architecture, which is designed for anti-counterfeiting. It uses AES-128 cryptography and is inherently resistant to physical attacks like Differential power analysis (DPA) and Differential Fault Analysis (DFA).

The NFC4TCxxx tags are offered in a wide range of memory options starting from 304 bytes to 4K bytes, allowing brands to program the tags with additional details about their products and services, enabling better communication.

Chinagundi noted that the NFC4TCxxx tag is ideal for a wide range of markets, including luxury consumer goods such as bags & other leather goods, apparels, watches, sneakers, jewelry, perfumes, cosmetics etc.; toys; pharmaceuticals including drugs, vaccines and other medications; fine wine and spirits; sports memorabilia and art.

Chinagundi noted that NFC has overcome a range of challenges to get to where it has in the marketplace, although some hurdles remain.

“Though NFC technology has been around in phones for quite some time, the major phone manufacturers had only supported NFC payment applications for a long time,” added Chinagundi. “In the recent past, the majority of phone manufacturers have opened up their products to allow NFC tag read/write for consumer applications and so enabling penetration of NFC in consumer markets. Additionally, brands still have limited knowledge about the technology and the value it offers, particularly with regards to security.”