Parallelizing Cryptographic Algorithms for CPU Offloading

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cryptographic algorithms are computationally intensive, impacting system performance and battery life on modern platforms, necessitating a method to accelerate cryptographic processing while maintaining information security.

Innovation Solution

A cryptographic algorithm is parallelized by breaking it into components, distributing processing to one or more parallelized devices such as a graphics processing unit or cryptographic co-processor, depending on parallelizability, to offload processing from the central processing unit and enhance performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cryptographic algorithms are implemented in software on a CPU core, then information security is maintained, but system performance is impacted and battery life is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidsystem performance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The cryptographic algorithm is divided into multiple components or blocks that can be processed independently and in parallel. This segmentation allows the computationally intensive cryptographic operations to be distributed across multiple processing units, thereby improving system performance while maintaining security through complete execution of all algorithmic steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A parallelized processing device is introduced as an intermediary between the CPU and the cryptographic algorithm execution. This intermediary handles the computationally intensive parallelizable portions of the algorithm, offloading work from the CPU and improving overall system performance while the CPU maintains control over the cryptographic process to ensure security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If cryptographic algorithms are implemented in software on a CPU core, then information security is maintained, but battery life is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidbattery life

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the cryptographic algorithm into parallelizable and non-parallelizable components, the system can distribute work efficiently across processing units. The parallelizable portions are executed on dedicated hardware that can perform operations more energy-efficiently, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining complete algorithm execution for security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the general-purpose CPU software implementation with a specialized parallelized processing device for executing cryptographic algorithms. This substitution uses hardware-based parallel processing that is more energy-efficient for cryptographic operations, reducing battery consumption while maintaining security through deterministic execution of all algorithmic steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If cryptographic algorithms are parallelized and distributed to parallelized devices, then processing performance is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecryptographic processing performanceVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cryptographic algorithm is segmented into distinct components with clear boundaries between parallelizable and non-parallelizable portions. This segmentation provides a structured approach to parallelization that manages complexity by organizing the algorithm into manageable units that can be independently processed while maintaining overall system coherence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial parallelization by identifying and parallelizing only the portions of the cryptographic algorithm that can be safely executed in parallel, while keeping non-parallelizable components sequential. This selective approach achieves performance improvement without requiring complete restructuring of the entire algorithm, thus managing device complexity more effectively.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS9342712B2Method and system for accelerating cryptographic processing

Publication Date: 2016.05.17 ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC

AI summary

A method, an apparatus, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for accelerating cryptographic processing are presented. A cryptographic algorithm is parallelized, which includes breaking the cryptographic algorithm into components, parallelizing an entire component if the component is fully parallelizable, parallelizing part of a component if the component is partially parallelizable, and sequentially executing a component if the component is not parallelizable. Processing of the parallelizable component or the partially parallelizable component is distributed to one or more parallelized devices. The parallelized devices include at least one of: a graphics processing unit or a cryptographic processing device, which may include an integrated cryptographic processor or a cryptographic co-processor.