Area-Efficient Realization of Binary Elliptic Curve Point Multiplication Processor for Cryptographic Applications

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel hardware design for a compact crypto processor devoted to elliptic-curve point multiplication over GF(2233). We focus on minimizing hardware usage, which we obtain using an iterative bit–serial finite field modular multiplier for polynomial coefficient multiplication. The same multiplier is also used for modular squares and inversion computations, further optimizing the hardware footprint. Our design offers flexibility by permitting users to load different curve parameters and secret keys while keeping a low-area hardware design. To efficiently generate the control signals, we utilize a finite-state-machine-based controller. We have implemented the proposed crypto processor on Virtex-6 and Virtex-7 FPGA devices, and we have evaluated its performance at clock frequencies of 100, 50, and 10 MHz. Specifically, for one point multiplication computation on Virtex-7 FPGA, our crypto processor uses 391 slices, attains a maximum frequency of 161 MHz, has a latency of 4.45 ms, and consumes 77 mW of power. These results, along with a comparison to state-of-the-art designs, clearly demonstrate the practicality of our crypto processor for applications requiring efficient and compact cryptographic computations.