A Multi-layer Recursive Residue Number System

Abstract: We present a method to increase the dynamical range of a Residue Number System (RNS) by adding virtual RNS layers on top of the original RNS, where the required modular arithmetic for a modulus on any non-bottom layer is implemented by means of an RNS Montgomery multiplication algorithm that uses the RNS on the layer below. As a result, the actual arithmetic is deferred to the bottom layer. The multiplication algorithm that we use is based on an algorithm by Bajard and Imbert, extended to work with pseudo-residues (remainders with a larger range than the modulus). The resulting Recursive Residue Number System (RRNS) can be used to implement modular addition, multiplication, and multiply-and-accumulate for very large (2000+ bits) moduli, using only modular operations for small (for example 8-bits) moduli. A hardware implementation of this method allows for massive parallelization. Our method can be applied in cryptographic algorithms such as RSA to realize modular exponentiation with a large (2048-bit, or even 4096-bit) modulus. Due to the use of full RNS Montgomery algorithms, the system does not involve any carries, therefore cryptographic attacks that exploit carries cannot be applied.