RACE: A Rapid ARM Cryptographic Engine for Code-Based Classic McEliece PQC Scheme

Wen Wu; Jiankuo Dong; Xuecheng Liu; Shuzhou Sun; Zhenjiang Dong; Jingqiang Lin; Fu Xiao

Paper 2025/2310

RACE: A Rapid ARM Cryptographic Engine for Code-Based Classic McEliece PQC Scheme

Wen Wu

, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

Jiankuo Dong, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

Xuecheng Liu, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

Shuzhou Sun, Huawei Technologies

Zhenjiang Dong, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

Jingqiang Lin, University of Science and Technology of China

Fu Xiao, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

Abstract

With the rapid development of quantum computing, traditional public-key cryptosystems are increasingly vulnerable, making post-quantum cryptography (PQC) a critical area for securing future information systems. As a prominent code-based key encapsulation mechanism (KEM), Classic McEliece offers strong quantum security. However, its large public key size and complex decoding process introduce significant performance bottlenecks, hindering its practical deployment on mobile and edge devices. To address these challenges, we propose RACE (Rapid ARM Cryptographic Engine), a systematic acceleration framework tailored for ARMv8 architectures, designed to enhance the efficiency of Classic McEliece while preserving its constant-time security guarantees. In the key generation phase, we introduce an implicit data layout and in-place transformation strategy based on LUP decomposition, coupled with NEON SIMD vectorization. For the encapsulation phase, we optimize error vector generation with constant-time techniques and batch-loading strategies to reduce memory access redundancy during matrix-vector multiplications. In the decapsulation phase, we apply lane-level fusion and dual-lane butterfly fusion techniques, leveraging NEON instructions to parallelize field multiplication and fast fourier transform (FFT) butterfly operations. Experiments on three ARMv8 platforms (Kunpeng 920, Apple M1, Apple M2 Pro) demonstrate significant speedups of RACE compared to the official vec implementation. For the McEliece8192128 parameter set, key generation is accelerated by 1.33$\times$, 1.90$\times$, and 2.04$\times$, encapsulation by 1.33$\times$, 1.23$\times$, and 1.26$\times$, and decapsulation by 1.27$\times$, 1.68$\times$, and 1.66$\times$, respectively. RACE also outperforms open-source libraries, particularly in decapsulation, where speedups reach several hundred times. These results validate the practical applicability and deployment potential of RACE in mobile and edge computing environments.

Note: This manuscript is under review.

Metadata

Available format(s): PDF
Category: Public-key cryptography
Publication info: Preprint.
Keywords: Post-quantum Cryptography Key Encapsulation Mechanism Classic McEliece ARM Cryptographic Engineering
Contact author(s): 2024040403 @ njupt edu cn
djiankuo @ njupt edu cn
1025040917 @ njupt edu cn
sunshuzhou @ huawei com
dongzhenjiang @ njupt edu cn
linjq @ ustc edu cn
xiaof @ njupt edu cn
History: 2025-12-29: approved; 2025-12-23: received; See all versions
Short URL: https://ia.cr/2025/2310
License: CC BY

BibTeX

@misc{cryptoeprint:2025/2310,
      author = {Wen Wu and Jiankuo Dong and Xuecheng Liu and Shuzhou Sun and Zhenjiang Dong and Jingqiang Lin and Fu Xiao},
      title = {{RACE}: A Rapid {ARM} Cryptographic Engine for Code-Based Classic {McEliece} {PQC} Scheme},
      howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2025/2310},
      year = {2025},
      url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/2310}
}