Montgomery exponent architecture based on programmable cellular automata

This study presents an efficient exponent architecture for public-key cryptosystems using Montgomery multiplication based on programmable cellular automata (PCA). Multiplication is the key operation in implementing circuits for cryptosystem, as the process of encrypting and decrypting a message requires modular exponentiation which can be decomposed into multiplications. Efficient multiplication algorithm and simple architecture are the key for implementing exponentiation. Thus we employ Montgomery multiplication algorithm and construct simple architecture based on irreducible all one polynomial (AOP) in GF(2^m). The proposed architecture has the advantage of high regularity and a reduced hardware complexity based on combining the characteristics of the irreducible AOP and PCA. The proposed architecture can be efficiently used for public-key cryptosystem.