Applicability and Design Considerations of Chaotic and Quantum Entropy Sources for Random Number Generation in IoT Devices

TL;DR

This paper compares chaotic and quantum random number generators for IoT devices, helping choose the best option based on application needs.

Contribution

A hardware IP Core for logistic map-based random number generation and a comparative analysis with quantum generators for IoT use.

Findings

The logistic map IP Core is suitable for implementation on ASIC or FPGA for IoT devices.

Both chaotic and quantum generators were evaluated for entropy and randomness using ent and NIST tools.

The study provides design guidelines for selecting generators based on application requirements.

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of two types of generators of random sequences: one based on a discrete chaotic system being the logistic map, and the other being a commercial quantum random number generator QUANTIS-USB-4M. The results of the conducted analysis serve as a guide for selecting the type of generator that is more suited for a specific IoT solution, depending on the functional profile of the target application and the amount of random data required in the cryptographic process. This article discusses both the theoretical foundations of chaotic phenomena underlying the pseudorandom number generator based on the logistic map, as well as the theoretical principles of photon detection used in the quantum random number generators. A hardware IP Core implementing the logistic map was developed, suitable for direct implementation either as a standalone ASIC using the SkyWater PDK process or on an FPGA. The generated bitstreams from the implemented IP Core were evaluated for randomness. The analysis of the entropy levels and evaluation of randomness for both the logistic map and the quantum random number generator were performed using the ent tool and NIST test suite.

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