A High Performance and Efficient Post-Quantum Crypto-Processor for FrodoKEM

Abstract: FrodoKEM is a lattice-based post-quantum key encapsulation mechanism (KEM). It has been considered for standardization by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) due to its robust security profile. However, its hardware implementation exhibits a weakness of high latency and heavy resource burden, hindering its practical application. Moreover, diverse usage scenarios call for comprehensive functionality. To address these challenges, this paper presents a high-performance and efficient crypto-processor for FrodoKEM. A multiple-instruction overlapped execution scheme is introduced to enable efficient multi-module scheduling and minimize operational latency. Furthermore, a high-speed, reconfigurable parallel multiplier array is integrated to handle intensive matrix computations under diverse computation patterns, significantly enhancing hardware efficiency. In addition, a compact memory scheduling strategy shortens the lifespan of intermediate matrices, thereby reducing overall storage requirements. The proposed design provides full support for all FrodoKEM security levels and protocol phases. It consumes 13467 LUTs, 6042 FFs, and 14 BRAMs on an Artix-7 FPGA and achieves the fastest reported execution time. Compared with state-of-the-art hardware implementations, our design improves the area-time product (ATP) by 1.75-2.00 times.