Energy Consumption Framework and Analysis of Post-Quantum Key-Generation on Embedded Devices

TL;DR

This paper presents a framework for measuring the energy consumption of post-quantum key generation algorithms on embedded devices, focusing on Raspberry Pi, to address practical concerns for PQC adoption.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework for quantifying energy use of PQC algorithms on embedded hardware, including implementation of ML-KEM via OpenSSL.

Findings

Energy consumption data for PQC algorithms on Raspberry Pi

Comparison between traditional and post-quantum key generation methods

Insights into energy efficiency for PQC on embedded devices

Abstract

The emergence of quantum computing and Shor's algorithm necessitates an imminent shift from current public key cryptography techniques to post-quantum robust techniques. NIST has responded by standardising Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms, with ML-KEM (FIPS-203) slated to replace ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman) for key exchange. A key practical concern for PQC adoption is energy consumption. This paper introduces a new framework for measuring the PQC energy consumption on a Raspberry Pi when performing key generation. The framework uses both available traditional methods and the newly standardised ML-KEM algorithm via the commonly utilised OpenSSL library.