One Trillion True Random Bits Generated with a Field Programmable Gate Array Actuated Magnetic Tunnel Junction

TL;DR

This paper presents a highly efficient method for generating over one trillion true random bits using magnetic tunnel junctions actuated by FPGAs, significantly reducing cost and increasing data rates for cryptography and stochastic modeling.

Contribution

The authors demonstrate a scalable, FPGA-based TRNG system using SMART-pMTJs, achieving over 10Mb/s and passing standard randomness tests, with simplified hardware design.

Findings

Generated over 10^12 bits at >10Mb/s rate

Passed NIST randomness tests with minimal XOR operations

Reduced setup cost by a hundred-fold and increased bitrate a thousand-fold

Abstract

Large quantities of random numbers are crucial in a wide range of applications. We have recently demonstrated that perpendicular nanopillar magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJs) can produce true random bits when actuated with short pulses. However, our implementation used high-end and expensive electronics, such as a high bandwidth arbitrary waveform generator and analog-to-digital converter, and was limited to relatively low data rates. Here, we significantly increase the speed of true random number generation (TRNG) of our stochastic actuated pMTJs (SMART-pMTJs) using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), demonstrating the generation of over $10^{12}$ bits at rates exceeding 10Mb/s. The resulting bitstreams pass the NIST Statistical Test Suite for randomness with only one XOR operation. In addition to a hundred-fold reduction in the setup cost and a thousand-fold increase in bitrate, the advancement includes simplifying and optimizing random bit generation with a custom-designed analog daughter board to interface an FPGA and SMART-pMTJ. The resulting setup further enables FPGA at-speed processing of MTJ data for stochastic modeling and cryptography.