Fraunhofer AISEC

Fraunhofer AISEC
Name	Fraunhofer AISEC
Type	Research institute
Founded	2009
Headquarters	Munich, Germany
Fields	Information security, cybersecurity, embedded systems, trustworthy AI
Parent organization	Fraunhofer Society

Fraunhofer AISEC Fraunhofer AISEC is an applied research institute specializing in information security, embedded systems protection, and trustworthy artificial intelligence, located in Munich. It operates within the Fraunhofer Society network and collaborates with universities, industry partners, and public institutions across Europe. The institute translates cryptographic research and systems engineering into practical products and standards, supporting stakeholders such as European Commission, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany), and multinational corporations.

Overview

Fraunhofer AISEC focuses on securing digital infrastructures, spanning topics from cryptography and hardware security modules to automotive cybersecurity and industrial control system protection. The institute engages with academic partners like Technical University of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and University of Oxford as well as industry actors including Siemens, BMW, Deutsche Telekom, and Infineon Technologies. It contributes to standardization bodies such as ISO/IEC committees, IETF, and ETSI, and participates in funding schemes led by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

History

AISEC was established within the Fraunhofer family to consolidate expertise from existing institutes and emerging needs in cybersecurity. Early activities connected with initiatives by the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT and collaborations with the German Federal Office for Information Security and European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). Milestones include participation in flagship projects under Horizon 2020 and advisory roles to the Bundeswehr and federal ministries on cyber defense. The institute expanded laboratories and personnel through partnerships with Technical University of Munich and spin-offs linked to Munich Network Industry 4.0 initiatives.

Research Areas

AISEC’s research spans several interlinked domains. In cryptography, teams work on post-quantum schemes, secure multi-party computation, and hardware-accelerated primitives relevant to Quantum Key Distribution and NIST standardization. In embedded systems security, research targets secure boot, trusted execution environments, and side-channel resistance for platforms used by Airbus and Bosch. The institute pursues trustworthy artificial intelligence with explainability, robustness, and verification methods aligned with regulatory efforts like the EU AI Act and standards from IEEE. Another focus is automotive cybersecurity addressing challenges posed by Autonomous vehicle architectures and vehicular networks such as CAN bus and Ethernet AVB. Work on industrial control systems and SCADA integrates threat modeling, anomaly detection, and resilient architectures for operators like Siemens Energy and ABB.

Projects and Collaborations

AISEC leads and participates in multidisciplinary consortia. Notable collaborations include EU-funded projects with partners such as Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft institutes, CERN, EURECOM, and companies like SAP and Thales. The institute engages in national programs with BMBF and regional initiatives of the Free State of Bavaria. It contributes to cybersecurity testbeds for Connected Car ecosystems together with Daimler and research on secure IoT platforms alongside ARM and STMicroelectronics. International academic collaborations feature ties to ETH Zurich, EPFL, Imperial College London, and Royal Holloway, University of London.

Facilities and Infrastructure

AISEC operates specialized labs for hardware and software evaluation, including side-channel analysis chambers, penetration testing suites, and secure development environments. Facilities support formal verification with theorem provers like Coq and Isabelle/HOL, and hardware labs equipped for fault injection, differential power analysis, and radio-frequency testing used by researchers collaborating with Fraunhofer IIS and Fraunhofer FKIE. The institute maintains simulation platforms for vehicle-to-everything communication and testbeds interoperable with 5G and TSN networks to validate resilience in coordinated systems.

Industry Impact and Technology Transfer

The institute translates research into products, audits, and startup support. AISEC has contributed to technology transfer through licensing agreements, consultancy for compliance with frameworks such as Common Criteria and ISO/IEC 27001, and the incubation of spin-offs addressing hardware attestation and secure firmware. Industry uptake includes security architectures adopted by suppliers in the automotive supply chain and certified solutions for critical infrastructure operators including Deutsche Bahn and energy providers. Training and further education offerings reach professionals via programs affiliated with Fraunhofer Academy and executive courses at Technical University of Munich.

Governance and Organization

AISEC is governed according to the statutes of the Fraunhofer Society, with a management team reporting to the Fraunhofer executive board and oversight from advisory boards including representatives from academia and industry. Organizational links extend to neighboring Fraunhofer institutes such as Fraunhofer SIT, Fraunhofer IIS, and Fraunhofer FKIE. Funding derives from competitive project grants from Horizon Europe and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, cooperative research contracts with firms like Bosch and Siemens, and commissioned evaluations for public agencies such as Bundeswehr and Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).

Category:Fraunhofer Society institutes Category:Research institutes in Munich