Security Through Strategic Foresight What Could
Possibly Go Wrong?

Turn security into competitive advantage—learn to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities before they become liabilities. For engineering teams building system-on-chips and hardware IPs, WCPGW methodology provides a framework for proactive security design.

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Philosophy

The Ironic Origin

WCPGW is typically used as a sarcastic remark about poor planning—a phrase spoken just before things go wrong. It highlights the gap between confidence and competence, between assumption and reality.

The Strategic Inversion

We transform this cautionary expression into a powerful methodology. By systematically asking "what could possibly go wrong?" at every stage, teams build resilience through imagination before reality tests them.

Methodology

01

Systematic Threat Imagination

Map every conceivable failure mode. From supply chain attacks to architectural vulnerabilities, envision catastrophic scenarios with methodical precision.

02

Vector Analysis & Mapping

Identify attack surfaces in SoC architectures and hardware IP designs. Create comprehensive vulnerability matrices before adversaries discover them.

03

Risk-Weighted Prioritization

Allocate resources based on threat severity and probability matrices. Build defense-in-depth strategies that address both likely and catastrophic scenarios.

04

Resilient Architecture Design

Engineer systems that gracefully degrade under attack. Build recovery mechanisms that ensure business continuity even when defenses fail.

About

Who We Are

Start With WCPGW is a professional consulting firm that specializes in providing expert advice and solutions to semiconductor businesses throughout their security journey.

Founded in 2018 by Jean-Philippe Martin, we strive to deliver results that exceed our clients' expectations.

Key Offerings

  • • Engineering Security Training and Executive Coaching
  • • SoC and IP Security Analysis and Red Teaming
  • • R&D advisory for Silicon Security Tools and Automation
  • • Secure Product Evangelization and Technical Marketing

About Jean-Philippe Martin

Experienced professional in chip development and hardware security leadership

Experience
  • • All phases of IP and SoC Development: Architecture, Design, Pre-Si Verification, Post-Si Validation, Physical Design and FPGA implementation
  • • Security technologies: Arm Cortex CPU Cores, AMBA and TrustZone, PowerPC cores, Intel Core Ultra AI PC CPU SoC, hardware virtualization and TDX, AI SoC
  • • Security Assessment: SoC, IPs, Oil & Gas Pipeline Infrastructure and Facilities
Background
  • Employers: Intel, arm, Synopsys, Freescale/NXP
  • Consulting Customers: Qualcomm, AMD, Microsoft, Synopsys, Trend Micro, Samsung
  • Contributing Member: C2PA, GRF, IEEE
  • LinkedIn Follow on LinkedIn

By adopting a "Start With WCPGW" perspective, teams can imagine worst-case scenarios and proactively devise robust strategies to prioritize risk mitigations, ensuring better preparedness and ultimately leading to more secure and resilient products.

Impact

300x
Remediation cost saved through early detection. Security bugs found in pre-silicon with no escape on production part
50%
Of critical security vulnerabilities identified by engineers within 6 months of completing our training program
$60M+
Government grant awarded through expert technical advising and security strategy development

Strategic Advantages

Proactive Security Posture

Address vulnerabilities during design phase rather than after market deployment

Accelerated Time-to-Market

Eliminate delays from late-stage security discoveries and remediation cycles

Team Capability Enhancement

Build institutional knowledge in threat modeling and security architecture

Competitive Differentiation

Establish market reputation for secure, resilient semiconductor solutions

Expertise

Our Value Proposition

We are a specialized consulting firm focused exclusively on semiconductor security. Our comprehensive services empower chip design organizations towards secure and innovative technology development.

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HARDWARE

Training & Development

Empowering chip design organizations towards secure and innovative technology development.

Our Services:
  • • Expert-led Technical Training: Upskill your SoC/IP design and verification teams with targeted, hands-on programs
  • • Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) Training & Coaching: Equip your teams with practical security methods and mindset
  • • Executive & Management Coaching: Guide leaders to drive organizational change and foster a culture of security and innovation
  • • Security strategy development that balances ROI and minimizes risks
Our Approach:
  • • Tailored: Customized programs matching your specific needs and context
  • • Practical: Emphasis on real-world applications and best practices
  • • Proven: Demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing skills and security outcomes
  • • Holistic: Combining technical training, process improvement, and leadership coaching

We guarantee measurable improvements in your team's capabilities and your organization's security posture.

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HARDWARE

Security Analysis & Assessment

Comprehensive silicon product security evaluation to ensure the highest level of security in your System-on-Chips (SoCs), IP blocks, or chiplets.

Core Services:
  • • Threat Modeling: Identify security threats and explore potential mitigations across IPs, SoCs, platform, and ecosystem
  • • Architectural Security Review: Enhance the security of platform and system architecture
  • • Design and Test Services: Security-focused design review and testing process enhancement
  • • Risk Assessment: Methodical technical and business security risk assessments
  • • Vulnerability evaluation and impact analysis

Reduce security risks, ensure robust performance, and provide security assurance guarantees with your customer and market requirements in mind.

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HARDWARE

Design Automation & Security Tools

Specializing in secure chip design automation to ensure your chip designs are secure, reliable, and protected against potential threats.

Our Expertise:
  • • Development and evaluation of tools for secure chip design and verification
  • • Research and development for enhancing EDA security solutions
  • • Assurance solutions focusing on security and reliability of chip designs
  • • Architectural security modeling tools development
  • • Collaboration with EDA companies and DARPA project advisory (AISS)

Guide or lead your tooling and automation efforts to achieve efficient and repeatable results in secure product development.

Evangelism Icon
HARDWARE

Technical Marketing & Evangelism

Empower your security brand with specialized technical marketing and evangelism for hardware security IPs, SoCs, and EDA security solutions.

What We Do:
  • • Showcase Your Innovation: Create compelling technical content highlighting unique features and use cases
  • • Establish Thought Leadership: Speaking engagements, blog posts, and industry articles
  • • Enable Your Sales: Technical collateral, training, and tools for effective value communication
  • • Build Your Community: Engage with security and semiconductor communities
  • • Differentiate Your Brand: Competitive analysis and market intelligence

Elevate your brand, drive demand for your security products, and position your company as a trusted industry leader.

AI & INTELLIGENCE

AI Security Consulting

Protect your AI systems with the same rigor applied to silicon

Key Services:
  • • Full-stack AI security: from chip design and hardware accelerators through platform integration to application deployment
  • • Attack simulation and red teaming: adversarial inputs, data poisoning, model extraction, and supply chain compromise
  • • AI-specific security training bridging hardware and software perspectives
Engagement Areas:
  • • Hardware-aware AI security: NPU/TPU vulnerabilities, secure enclaves for inference, side-channel risks
  • • Platform security: model serving infrastructure, API hardening, runtime protection
  • • Training pipeline integrity: data provenance, poisoning detection, model watermarking
  • • AI supply chain risk: third-party models, datasets, frameworks, and pre-trained weights
  • • Attack surface mapping across the full AI stack—silicon to software
  • • Regulatory compliance readiness (EU AI Act, emerging standards)
AI & INTELLIGENCE

Value-Driven AI Consulting

Transform AI from technology experiment to measurable business advantage

Key Services:
  • • AI pattern matching for industrial use cases: defect detection, predictive maintenance, production optimization
  • • Pragmatic implementation roadmaps with clear ROI milestones
  • • Risk-aware AI adoption strategy balancing innovation, security, and operational reality
Consulting Services:
  • • Industrial AI opportunity assessment: quality control, anomaly detection, process optimization
  • • Computer vision for manufacturing: visual inspection, defect classification, production analysis
  • • Predictive analytics for operations: equipment health, yield optimization, demand forecasting
  • • Build vs. buy analysis and vendor evaluation with security lens
  • • Change management and team readiness for AI-augmented workflows
ECOSYSTEM

Supply Chain Security

Your security is only as strong as your weakest link in the chain

Key Services:
  • • End-to-end supply chain threat modeling across digital and physical ecosystems
  • • Third-party and vendor security risk assessment for industrial operations
  • • Security requirements development for procurement across industries
Assessment Services:
  • • Vendor security questionnaire development and evaluation
  • • Third-party component risk analysis: software, hardware, and services
  • • Industrial control system (ICS) and OT supply chain security
  • • Bill of Materials management: SWBOM (software), HWBOM (hardware), and AIBOM (AI/ML models)
  • • Counterfeit detection strategies for electronic components and materials
  • • Supply chain incident response and business continuity planning

Engagement Models

Strategic Advisory

Long-term partnership for continuous security enhancement. Regular assessments, quarterly reviews, and on-demand expert consultation.

Project-Based Assessment

Targeted evaluation of specific designs or architectures. Fixed-scope engagements with clear deliverables and actionable recommendations.

Capability Development

Build internal security competency through structured programs. Knowledge transfer, mentoring, and process establishment.

Our Promise

We are committed to your success and will work closely with you to achieve your goals. Our track record includes successful architectural security modeling tools development, fruitful collaborations with leading EDA companies, and advisory roles on DARPA projects.

Client and Mobile Computing
Secure Function IPs
Data Center Processors and AI Acceleration Hardware
Telecommunications Infrastructure
Automotive & Aerospace Semiconductors
Medical Device Silicon

Security Resources

Guides and reports to enhance your hardware security knowledge

Choose Your Path Forward

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Training Programs

Layered hardware security training from awareness to advanced expertise

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Consulting Services

Security analysis, threat modeling, SDL transformation, and custom solutions

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Leadership Coaching

Executive and career coaching for semiconductor leaders

EXPLORE COACHING

Not sure which option fits your needs?

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