Qualcomm launches Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI), a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), is extending its mobile security leadership with the launch of Qualcomm^® Snapdragon Sense™ ID 3D Fingerprint Technology, the mobile industry's first 3D fingerprint authentication technology based on ultrasonic technology. QTI's offering is designed to provide enhanced authentication capabilities, usability and integration over legacy capacitive touch-based fingerprint technologies by utilizing technology developed for government-grade biometric solutions. This new authentication platform utilizes Qualcomm® SecureMSM^™ technology and the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance Universal Authentication Framework (UAF) specification to provide password-less authentication, further improving interoperability among online devices and addressing the challenge of creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. This new standard for mobile device authentication and browser plug-ins is designed to allow any website or cloud application that offers FIDO authentication to interface with a broad variety of existing and future FIDO devices.

QTI's ultrasonic fingerprint technology has a number of distinct advantages over capacitive touch-based fingerprint technologies, including the ability to scan through a smartphone cover that is made of glass, aluminum, stainless steel, sapphire and plastics. This distinct and valuable advantage provides QTI's OEM customers with the flexibility to design a new generation of elegant, innovative and differentiated devices. The user experience is also improved by being able to scan through various contaminants that might be present on the finger, such as sweat, hand lotion and condensation, providing a more consistent and accurate method of authentication. Additionally, QTI's ultrasonic-based solution uses sound waves to directly penetrate the outer layers of skin, detecting three-dimensional details and unique fingerprint characteristics, including fingerprint ridges and sweat pores that are not possible to detect with current capacitive touch-based fingerprint technologies. The result is a highly detailed surface map of the fingerprint which is difficult to imitate or spoof.

"Mobile devices increasingly store our most valuable and sensitive information, while passwords alone do not provide the protection consumers deserve," said Raj Talluri, senior vice president, product management, QTI. "Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology's unique use of ultrasonic technology revolutionizes biometrics from 2D to 3D, allowing for greater accuracy, privacy and stronger authentication. We are very proud to bring the mobile industry's first ultrasonic-based biometric authentication technology to mobile device manufacturers and their customers, who will benefit from the improved and differentiated user experience."

QTI's Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology consists of a Qualcomm biometric integrated circuit (QBIC), custom sensor technology, and algorithms managed by SecureMSM technology, which is at the foundation of all of QTI's security features that helps to secure user privacy and personal data on-device. This groundbreaking technology is being introduced in conjunction with the Snapdragon 810 and Snapdragon 425 processors. Snapdragon Sense ID 3D fingerprint technology is designed to be compatible with all Snapdragon 400 series, 600 series and 800 series processors.

Additionally, QTI is supporting further biometric authentication advancements by serving on the FIDO Alliance and IBIA (International Biometric Industry Association) Board of Directors and working closely with other ecosystem leaders to effectively create leading innovative biometrics solutions. QTI's revolutionary Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology, based on QTI's own unique client technology together with Nok Nok Labs' S3 Authentication Suite provides the mobile industry's first password-less authentication based on ultrasonic technology, paving the way for future biometric authentication advancements.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology is expected to be available in commercial devices later this year and is already in various sampling stages with most major OEMs.

SOURCE Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.