LLP-ECCA: A Low-Latency and Programmable Framework for Elliptic Curve Cryptography Accelerators

Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) plays a pivotal role in safeguarding data integrity and authentication in contemporary communication contexts, particularly within the domain of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). In the realm of ITS, vehicles communicate via the V2X (vehicle-to-everything) protocol, necessitating low-latency responses and minimal power consumption. Given the evolving nature of V2X protocol standards across the globe, programmability becomes a rigid requirement. However, existing strategies cannot meet all these vehicular equipment demands. This paper introduces a novel framework tailored for ECC acceleration to address the issues. Specifically, we propose the design of an Application Specific Instruction Set Processor (ASIP), augmented by pipeline and dual-issue techniques. Furthermore, the envisioned ASIP integrates a hybrid control framework founded on Finite State Machines (FSM), facilitating agile and effective management. Notably, a general GF((p256)) Barrett modular multiplier is specially devised to optimize latency and area utilization. Experimental results on Xilinx Kintex Ultrscale+ FPGA demonstrate that the proposed ECC accelerator generates a signature within 131us and verifies a message within 181us, and the performance meets the requirements of today's V2X standard.