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And yet it's not the PSP you are probably thinking of!
The AMD Platform Security Processor (PSP), officially known as AMD Secure Technology, is one of those features that didn't make much sense until it was turned on. The rationale for its inclusion was compelling: AMD wanted to boost CPU security by using microcode to improve cryptographic algorithm correctness and make validation attacks more difficult.
But the real reason for the PSP to exist doesn't follow any obvious reasoning, it's part of a longer plan, the plan to build a new society from the inside out, a society of tinkerers and believers, a society of the imagination. I was drawn to the PSP, not because it works, but because it's beautiful, poetic, and just plain fun to use.
Take this comment from the bibliography for a 2008 paper describing the PSP.
"The PSP isn't a backdoor, it's a system extender... The PSP is a programmable micropayment system that allows users to fund systems through real-time software emulation of offline transactions and resource transfer, with a significant performance advantage over credit cards and other physical payment systems."
To AMD's credit, the PSP is very elegant and it's done the job it was supposed to, bringing much needed security to AMD processors.
Still, the PSP wasn't designed to be beautiful, but I admire it nonetheless.