A high-throughput low-cost AES cipher chip

Abstract

We propose an efficient hardware implementation of the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm, with key expansion capability. Compared with the widely used table-lookup technique, the proposed basis transformation technique reduces the hardware overhead of the S-box by 64%. Our pipelined design has a very high throughput rate. Using a typical 0.35 μm CMOS technology, a 200 MHz clock is easily achieved, and the throughput rate is 2.381 Gbps for 128-bit keys, 2.008 Gbps for 192-bit keys, and 1.736 Gbps for 256-bit keys. Testability of the design also is considered. The hardware cost of the AES design is about 58.5 K gates.