Although many organizations will be able to implement the new NIST PQC algorithms in software using their existing computers, other applications, particularly small IoT (Internet of Things) devices may need a dedicated chip for this function because their IoT device doesn’t have the performance to process the PQC algorithms along with the other things it is doing. And other organizations may want to develop an SoC (System on a Chip) device that integrates the PQC processing functionality along with other functions on a single piece of silicon.
For those applications, PQShield has developed an initial test chip that implements the first PQC standards. The company claims it is the first ever PQC-compliant silicon chip and is firmware based so it can support other PQC algorithms as they are standardized or if updates are needed to better support the first three algorithms that were finalized last month. The initial purpose of this test chip is to study its characteristics regarding compliance to the standards, performance, power consumption, resistance to side channel activities, and other things. The chip includes support for all the IP elements already available in PQShield’s algorithm library. This includes support for the Raccoon algorithm which PQShield recently submitted to the NIST for the Call for Additional Post-Quantum Signature Schemes.
The company will be making the IP for this chip technology available for those semiconductor designers that want to license it and integrate the IP into their own designs. For additional information you can view a blog post on the PQShield website here and also a video with PQShield’s VP of Engineering where he describes the chip and the technology here.
September 4, 2024
