K-State engineer receives CAREER award to develop AI tools to detect computer hardware security risks
Monday, June 17, 2024
MANHATTAN — A Kansas State University engineer is developing an automated tool to detect security issues in computer hardware without human effort or specialized knowledge.
Xiaolong Guo, assistant professor in the Mike Wiegers Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has received a $490,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award, known as a CAREER award, to develop the tool that aims to save time and money for semiconductor manufacturers.
The five-year project, "CAREER: When Learning Meets Reasoning: Mitigating Security Risks with Large Language Models and Causality Inference," will also integrate a dataset to train large language models and feature a cloud-based platform for testing solutions.
"Our project focuses on tackling security risks in hardware caused by software," Guo said. "As hardware becomes more complex, finding these flaws manually is tough and costly. The tools we are developing will automate this process, helping semiconductor manufacturers save both time and money."
In addition to producing the automated tools to detect hardware security issues, the project aims to deliver enhanced hardware security via its cloud-based testing platform, as well as foster more collaboration with industry.
The project will also produce educational resources designed to inspire and train future engineers involved in hardware security.
