Broadcom is looking to get under your fingertips. On Tuesday, the company took the wraps off its chip for devices using biometrics, such as fingerprint IDs, to verify a person’s identity.

Broadcom developed the chip to offer companies better protection of the personal information they use to give their employees access to office buildings, networks, and data. Electronics companies are putting biometric sensors in such products as computers and cell phones, which people increasingly use to store personal information and make purchases.

The use of fingerprints is considered a better protection mechanism than using passwords. But it still carries risks. While duplicating fingerprints is difficult, tech-savvy thieves can still find ways to get the encryption needed for authentication into systems.

“The goal of this product is to close some of the vulnerabilities you’ve got with the use of biometrics,” said Gregory Youngblood, director of marketing at Broadcom’s security business line.

Broadcom engineers put features in the chip, known as the BCM5890, that protect the software and code for performing authentication, Mr. Youngblood said. The company, based in Irvine, California,

is targeting the business market with its product.

The processor is built with the microprocessor core from U.K.-based ARM and has built-in RFID for transmitting information wirelessly. Broadcom plans to start shipping the processor in September.

Chip Deals

Privaris, Broadcom’s first customer, has agreed to put the chip in a new product called plusID, a handheld device that verifies an employee’s identity by fingerprints. The gadget can grant access to equipment and data, eliminating the need for passwords and additional security. The device’s features include a fingerprint sensor, light indicator, a USB connection, rechargeable battery, and Bluetooth.

“plusID protects buildings, computer networks, and financial transaction systems from thieves, hackers, and terrorists,” said Barry W. Johnson, chief executive of Privaris, a private company in Charlottesville, Virginia. “It also eliminates employee frustration with having to carry multiple access cards and remember multiple passwords.”

Broadcom is partnering with security businesses in an effort to build its chip’s position in the market. The chip company is working with RSA Security, a software developer, and HID Global, a maker of readers that decipher information on ID cards, to ensure that devices built with the chip will work with existing security systems.

Rivals such as Philips Semiconductor in the Netherlands and Infineon Technologies in Germany have their own lines of chips for authentication systems.

Contact the writer:UWang@RedHerring.com