Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2020/1459

Preliminary Hardware Benchmarking of a Group of Round 2 NIST Lightweight AEAD Candidates

Mustafa Khairallah and Thomas Peyrin and Anupam Chattopadhyay

Abstract: In this report, we analyze the hardware implementations of 10 candidates for Round 2 of the NIST lightweight cryptography standardization process. These candidates are Ascon, DryGASCON, Elephant, Gimli, PHOTON-Beetle, Pyjamask, Romulus, Subterranean, TinyJAMBU and Xoodyak. Specifically, we study the implementations of these algorithms when synthesized using the TSMC 65nm and FDSOI 28nm technologies and Synopsys Design Compiler, targeting various performance trade-offs and different use-cases. We show how different candidates stack-up against such trade-offs. We base our benchmarking parameters and metrics on real-world use-cases, such as high-speed applications, lightweight communication protocols and internet payloads.

Category / Keywords: implementation / ASIC and authenticated encryption and AEAD and lightweight cryptography and NIST and benchmarking

Date: received 18 Nov 2020

Contact author: mustafam001 at e ntu edu sg

Available format(s): PDF | BibTeX Citation

Version: 20201119:095012 (All versions of this report)

Short URL: ia.cr/2020/1459