Dear all,
As we probably need to sync-up for our first allocation, I have sent you an invite for a call on the 7th of November. I hope it works for you.
As promised I have collected information from people who have expressed an interest, and I’ve filled in the spreadsheet with the information I have at the moment. I’ll be on holiday so I won’t update this for 2 weeks.
It would be good to take a look before the meeting.
Thanks!

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Mike Eftimakis – Founding director
CHERI Alliance
mike.eftimakis(a)cheri-alliance.org <mailto:mike.eftimakis@cheri-alliance.org>
Web: cheri-alliance.org <http://cheri-alliance.org/>
Dear all,
Please find the manually cleaned-up, AI-generated notes.
Best regards,
Meeting summary
Quick recap
The team explored the distribution and management of Morello boards, including storage locations, operational status, and potential recycling options, while also discussing the availability and pricing of Morello boards. The group addressed legal and logistical challenges around board lending, including the need for complex legal agreements and the potential for internal recycling opportunities within organizations that received multiple boards.
Next steps
⬜ Mike to circulate an email to prioritize board allocation requests after gathering information on how many boards each requesting company already has.
✅ Mike to send out a public call for Morello board requests to ensure a complete list before making allocation decisions.
✅ Mark to follow up with John Godacre about sharing the list of companies who previously received Morello boards with Mike.
⬜ Mark to look into getting contact information from OSI Electronics for testing returned boards.
⬜ Mark to provide Mike with information about the cost of boards available in ARM's inventory.
⬜ Mark to find David's framed Morello chip and arrange delivery.
⬜ David to explore the possibility of reclaiming the approximately 40 Morello boards from Microsoft.
Summary
Morello Board Distribution and Logistics
The team discussed the distribution and management of Morello boards, including those inherited from Innovate UK. They noted that 45 boards are currently stored in an Arm warehouse near Basingstoke, ready for use. David highlighted that 40 boards at Microsoft are not currently operational due to certificate renewal issues. The team explored the possibility of recovering unused boards and discussed the logistics of reboxing and redistributing them, with Mark explaining that the warehouse boards are already boxed in ATX cases.
Morello Board Distribution and Reuse
The team discussed the availability and distribution of Morello boards, with Mark explaining that Innovate UK-funded boards can be distributed for free, while ARM has a small inventory of boards that can be sold at cost price. Graeme inquired about the maximum price for selling these boards, and Mark confirmed they cannot make a profit. The group explored options for recycling or reusing old boards, with David suggesting rack-mounted systems could be ideal for build farms. Mike shared a compiled list of current board requests, noting that the current inventory is sufficient to meet immediate demand.
Board Allocation and Testing Challenges
The team discussed the allocation and management of boards, with a focus on enabling the community and accommodating future requests, particularly from French government entities. Mike emphasized the need for dynamic management to allow boards to be reclaimed when not in use and raised concerns about testing recycled boards. Mark explained that OSI Electronics, the manufacturer, has a specific test setup that is not easily transportable, making it challenging to retest boards after they are returned.
Distributed Boards Status and Recycling
The group discussed the status of distributed boards, clarifying that while some were sold and others were owned by Innovate UK, there were no formal loan agreements in place. Mark confirmed that Innovate UK funded the boards and had no objections to recycling them, though there was no formal arrangement for their return. Mike expressed regret that the program wasn't more sustainable, and Mark agreed to provide contact information for OSI Electronics to help with testing the return of boards. The discussion also touched on the terms and conditions for using the boards, noting that agreeing to them involved opening a sealed bag containing the terms.
Legal Challenges in Arm Lending
The group discussed the legal and logistical challenges of lending out Arm boards, with David explaining that Microsoft Legal required complex legal agreements to enable red-team security testing. Graeme warned about the potential complications of involving legal teams, especially without financial backing, and suggested that the CHERI Alliance should handle any new legal agreements. The discussion concluded with Mike acknowledging that hackers would not get boards initially.
Morello Board Distribution Prioritization Plan
The team discussed prioritizing requests for Morello boards and agreed to handle this via email to ensure everyone's voice is heard, even if they don't participate in meetings. They noted that some companies, like Google and Microsoft, have received multiple boards, and there might be internal recycling opportunities within these organizations. Mike will circulate an email to determine how many boards each company has and to prioritize requests, while David suggested making a public call for people interested in boards to ensure a complete list before allocations. Mark mentioned he would follow up on getting a list of companies that received boards to share with Mike. The team expressed optimism about restarting board distribution after a long hold, and Mike planned to send out a message to collect more inputs for prioritization.
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Mike Eftimakis – Founding director
CHERI Alliance
mike.eftimakis(a)cheri-alliance.org <mailto:mike.eftimakis@cheri-alliance.org>
Web: cheri-alliance.org <http://cheri-alliance.org/>
