Good FPGA for an encryptor

Hello,

I would like to build a 1GBit/s data encryptor/decryptor using
an FPGA chip, but I have a big problem with an appropriate
chip. It should contain about 3000LE, 70 IO pins and at least
12 dual-port RAM blocks (I need two read ports per block) configurable
as 512x8 banks. Additionally, it should be Flash-based or SRAM
-based with encrypted bitstream. And must be cheap. Here are the
options I know of:

1. Altera Cyclone 1C3-8. It is perfectly suited for my needs,
and is very cheap. There is extremely good design software 
available. But it can't be used: it's totally unsecure.

2. Actel ProASIC+: flash-based and cheap, but their
memory blocks are not big enough and have only
one read port. Terribly bad software quality.

3. Actel ProASIC3: good, moderately expensive but not yet available.

4. Lattice XP: unknown price, unknown availability, technically suitable,
I've heard many bad opinions about Lattice, but personally I have no 
experience with their chips.

5. Xilinx Virtex4: too powerful and thus probably much too expensive,
good availability, very good support [:-)], software quality unknown,
but probably comparable to Quartus.

Could you please write something about remaining options?

    Best regards
    Piotr Wyderski

"Piotr Wyderski" <wyderskiREMOVE@ii.uni.wroc.pl> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:d9pkb0$oas$1@panorama.wcss.wroc.pl...
> Hello,
>
> I would like to build a 1GBit/s data encryptor/decryptor using
> an FPGA chip, but I have a big problem with an appropriate
> chip. It should contain about 3000LE, 70 IO pins and at least
> 12 dual-port RAM blocks (I need two read ports per block) configurable
> as 512x8 banks. Additionally, it should be Flash-based or SRAM
> -based with encrypted bitstream. And must be cheap. Here are the
> options I know of:
>
> 1. Altera Cyclone 1C3-8. It is perfectly suited for my needs,
> and is very cheap. There is extremely good design software
> available. But it can't be used: it's totally unsecure.

with some trick a RAM based FPGA can be made secure as well but generically
its nogo for security related stuff

> 2. Actel ProASIC+: flash-based and cheap, but their
> memory blocks are not big enough and have only
> one read port. Terribly bad software quality.

CORRECT, the software is a mist

> 3. Actel ProASIC3: good, moderately expensive but not yet available.

CORRECT, ProAsic3 600 chips was there (i did see it!) November 2004, but in
generic no PA3 devices are available. And the software is the same.

> 4. Lattice XP: unknown price, unknown availability, technically suitable,
> I've heard many bad opinions about Lattice, but personally I have no
> experience with their chips.

XP10 is available. When I asked a disti (WBC) where I could get XP, the
answer was "from me", ie the disties are able to ship immediatly.

> 5. Xilinx Virtex4: too powerful and thus probably much too expensive,
> good availability, very good support [:-)], software quality unknown,
> but probably comparable to Quartus.

software is no OK. I guess, any comment: "comparable to Quartus" is
understood as VERY bad insulting comment in the Xilinx side of the world.
But you are right, the software OK.

expensive, yes expect any V4 to be >=100USD

> Could you please write something about remaining options?

there isnt much,

quicklogic is OTP, secure and ok, but OTP

Atmel AT94Sxx are also secure but software sucks bad times as well and is
not free

Antti














>     Best regards
>     Piotr Wyderski
>
>
>

Piotr,

To complement Antti's comments,

I am working with Xilinx for about 7 years, used it everywhere and despite 
some minor software issues
(they always have been resolved, but who said there is such a complex design 
with no bugs???) I have always been happy.
I have used Altera Cyclone a few times & even now we have some diversity by 
using C2 for some minor project.
I have also tried evaluating Lattice and Actel.

In the past, we had to choose FPGAs for ASIC prototyping and I was greatly 
disappointed by Altera tools
Yes, Altera tools, but not FPGAs! FPGAs are always extraordinary stuff, 
regardless of their vendor!
And this is the main reason we tried using Xilinx and occasionaly Altera 
Cyclone for small things.
But the latest Quartus 4.2 / 5.x is definitely better than before, yet it 
still has some completely useless warnings.

If you are not planning massive production and you need only a few units, 
think no further.
Go with Xilinx, forget about the rest. Softwarte quality is good, large 
support community, prices "above the average"...

Vladislav


"Piotr Wyderski" <wyderskiREMOVE@ii.uni.wroc.pl> wrote in message 
news:d9pkb0$oas$1@panorama.wcss.wroc.pl...
> Hello,
>
> I would like to build a 1GBit/s data encryptor/decryptor using
> an FPGA chip, but I have a big problem with an appropriate
> chip. It should contain about 3000LE, 70 IO pins and at least
> 12 dual-port RAM blocks (I need two read ports per block) configurable
> as 512x8 banks. Additionally, it should be Flash-based or SRAM
> -based with encrypted bitstream. And must be cheap. Here are the
> options I know of:
>
> 1. Altera Cyclone 1C3-8. It is perfectly suited for my needs,
> and is very cheap. There is extremely good design software
> available. But it can't be used: it's totally unsecure.
>
> 2. Actel ProASIC+: flash-based and cheap, but their
> memory blocks are not big enough and have only
> one read port. Terribly bad software quality.
>
> 3. Actel ProASIC3: good, moderately expensive but not yet available.
>
> 4. Lattice XP: unknown price, unknown availability, technically suitable,
> I've heard many bad opinions about Lattice, but personally I have no
> experience with their chips.
>
> 5. Xilinx Virtex4: too powerful and thus probably much too expensive,
> good availability, very good support [:-)], software quality unknown,
> but probably comparable to Quartus.
>
> Could you please write something about remaining options?
>
>    Best regards
>    Piotr Wyderski
>
>
> 

I'm curious.  Why do you need an FPGA with bitstream encryption?

Piotr Wyderski wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I would like to build a 1GBit/s data encryptor/decryptor using
> an FPGA chip, but I have a big problem with an appropriate
> chip. It should contain about 3000LE, 70 IO pins and at least
> 12 dual-port RAM blocks (I need two read ports per block) configurable
> as 512x8 banks. Additionally, it should be Flash-based or SRAM
> -based with encrypted bitstream. And must be cheap. Here are the
> options I know of:
> 
> 1. Altera Cyclone 1C3-8. It is perfectly suited for my needs,
> and is very cheap. There is extremely good design software
> available. But it can't be used: it's totally unsecure.
> 
> 2. Actel ProASIC+: flash-based and cheap, but their
> memory blocks are not big enough and have only
> one read port. Terribly bad software quality.
> 
> 3. Actel ProASIC3: good, moderately expensive but not yet available.
> 
> 4. Lattice XP: unknown price, unknown availability, technically suitable,
> I've heard many bad opinions about Lattice, but personally I have no
> experience with their chips.
> 
> 5. Xilinx Virtex4: too powerful and thus probably much too expensive,
> good availability, very good support [:-)], software quality unknown,
> but probably comparable to Quartus.
> 
> Could you please write something about remaining options?
> 
>     Best regards
>     Piotr Wyderski


What cypher are you going to use ?

We are getting about 20 Gbps in a Virtex 2 3000, for 1Gbps
you can get away in a Spartan 3. Thats for AES with 128 bit
keys. 256 bit key take a 25-30% larger FPGA.

My guess is that you can do 1 Gbps in any low cost/low end
FPGA with the right architecture ...

Regards,
rudi
=============================================================
Rudolf Usselmann,  ASICS World Services,  http://www.asics.ws
Your Partner for IP Cores, Design, Verification and Synthesis
****** Certified USB 2.0 HS OTG and HS Device IP Cores ******

allanherriman@hotmail.com wrote:
> I'm curious.  Why do you need an FPGA with bitstream encryption?
> 
Piotr wants to do crypto in the FPGA. Also, he certainly needs secret 
keys inside the FPGA for working with digital crypto (speudo). Piotr 
needs FPGA bitstream encryption to make sure the secret key is safe and 
to protect his design and encryption method !

Laurent
www.amontec.com

>Piotr wants to do crypto in the FPGA.

'Doing crypto' does not imply a requirement for bitstream encryption.

One needs to change the keys from time to time, so they can't be part
of the bitstream.  So having secret keys does not imply a requirement
for bitstream encryption either.

IP protection makes sense, although the actual crypto part of the
design will probably be an industry standard design (e.g. AES, 3DES,
etc).

>>
>> 4. Lattice XP: unknown price, unknown availability, technically suitable,
>> I've heard many bad opinions about Lattice, but personally I have no
>> experience with their chips.
>>

I have used lattice since i started programming and find there FPGA and PLD 
products extremely good,
i have found there software to be ideal for low yield projects and cheap!!
My last project used the XPGA (a varient on the XP) and found it to have 
great functionality and easy to get hold of.

As mentioned previously in this thread, the distributor WBC will provide you 
with all Lattice products and will normally
give you some shiny samples if you ask nicely :-)

Use Lattice chips; not enough people do!!!!!!!! ;->

Hope this helps

Antti Lukats wrote:

> with some trick a RAM based FPGA can be made secure as well but
generically
> its nogo for security related stuff

No tricks.

> XP10 is available. When I asked a disti (WBC) where I could get XP, the
> answer was "from me", ie the disties are able to ship immediatly.

And what is the price of LFXP3? This chip seems to be very promising
and if it is less than 30$, it would be perfect.

> I guess, any comment: "comparable to Quartus" is understood as
> VERY bad insulting comment in the Xilinx side of the world.

:o)))

Quartus is extremely good (but quite slow), especially the full version,
and since Xilinx is a really big player, I anticipate that their software is
also very good, however I have no experience with ISE. It's a compliment,
not an insulting comment. ;-)

> expensive, yes expect any V4 to be >=100USD

Too much for this application.

    Thank you for your comment, Piotr

Vladislav Muravin wrote:

> In the past, we had to choose FPGAs for ASIC prototyping and I was greatly
> disappointed by Altera tools

Well, I'm amazed by Quartus. :-)

> Yes, Altera tools, but not FPGAs! FPGAs are always extraordinary stuff,
> regardless of their vendor!

ProASIC+ LEs cannot compute multi-input xors -- big disappointment. :-(
Only one RAM read port: even bigger disappointment.

> yet it still has some completely useless warnings.

Generally, I prefer 100 not important warnings than the lack of one,
important. :-)

> If you are not planning massive production and you need only a few units,
> think no further.

Today I need only a prototype, but I am not planning mass production, at
most 1000 devices in the best case.

    Best regards
    Piotr Wyderski