ABSTRACT
This chapter provides some brief background on computer engineering and conventional complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS). Whether nanoscale CMOS, molecular electronics, carbon nanotubes, or memristors, nanoelectronic technologies are reshaping computer technology and the way we must approach design. Common to many nanoelectronic circuits considered in the literature is the crossbar structure consisting of two sets of nanoscale wires organized perpendicular to one another. Novel nanoelectronic technologies offer opportunities to implement more analog circuits at smaller scales. The chapter aims to motivate the emerging landscape of novel computer architectures and application domains. Novel nanotechnologies offer possibilities for more energy-efficient security primitive implementations. Hardware security is concerned with, among other things, the robustness of the implementation of security protocols in a real-world environment. In order to mitigate such threats, a variety of hardware security primitives have been devised that help track valid integrated circuits through their life cycle and, in some cases, provide active management.
