Smart cards are equipped with a CPU and RAM, enabling them to process large volumes of data independently without interfering with the host CPU's operations. They can also filter out erroneous data to reduce the load on the host CPU, making them suitable for scenarios with a large number of ports and high communication speed requirements.

A smart card is a type of IC card (Integrated Circuit Card). IC cards are classified into three categories based on the embedded chip type: 1. Memory Card: The integrated circuit inside the card is an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), which only has data storage function without data processing capability. Memory cards have no hardware encryption function and only encrypt files, making them vulnerable to cracking.

2. Logic Encryption Card: The integrated circuit inside the card includes an encryption logic circuit and an EEPROM. The encryption logic circuit can protect the security of the card and the data stored in it to a certain extent, but it only provides low-level protection and cannot prevent malicious attacks.

3. Smart Card (CPU Card): The integrated circuit inside the card consists of a central processing unit (CPU), an EEPROM, a random access memory (RAM), and a Chip Operating System (COS) solidified in the read-only memory (ROM). The data in the card is divided into externally readable and internally processable parts, ensuring the security and reliability of the data stored in the card.

2. What is the operating system of a smart card?

The smart card operating system is commonly referred to as the Chip Operating System (COS). Generally, each COS has its own security system, and its security performance is usually an important technical indicator for evaluating the COS. The functions of COS include: transmission management, file management, security system, and command interpretation.

3. What are the uses of smart cards?

In terms of functions, the uses of smart cards can be summarized into the following four points:

1. Identity Identification

2. Payment Instrument

3. Encryption/Decryption

4. Information Storage

The Birth of Smart Cards

Mr. Roland Moreno, the father of the microchip, applied for the patent for the smart card in March 1974. The first smart card came out a few years later. After the miniaturization of electronic products in 1978, the demand for smart cards surged and they gradually became popular. Smart cards can not only store a lot of complex information, but also allow the circulation of currency from the center (credit card centralized network) to the edge (value stored on the card).