Counterfeit chip makers could simply look up the chips and re-use the serial numbers?
The idea is to use a chain of purchase records (purchase orders and invoices) to ensure that each transaction is recorded and unique, with the first transaction in the chain entered by the manufacturer.
The physical product has to be linked to this chain of purchase records tho. How do you tell, given just a chip, that it has a corresponding chain of records? Whatever solution you give me, what stops counterfeiters from reuse as well?
The business processes of the companies involved in each transaction would ensure the keys/tokens were associated with a physical inventory under their control. MRP systems can manage the warehouse & inventory. The chips themselves don’t have to be marked.
Only store hashes then. You can check that the item is in the database, but not list its contents. We've been doing this for a long time with passwords.
The idea is to use a chain of purchase records (purchase orders and invoices) to ensure that each transaction is recorded and unique, with the first transaction in the chain entered by the manufacturer.