Multicore Implementation of ML-KEM on Embedded Devices

• Beatriz L. Azevedo UFJF http://orcid.org/0009-0006-6125-1104
• Vinícius Lagrota CEPESC http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3272-8613
• Moisés V. Ribeiro UFJF http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6272-4675

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbseg.2025.9783

Resumo

This paper introduces a cost-effective function-selection procedure, anchored in Amdahl’s Law, to orchestrate selective parallelization of Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism Standard (ML-KEM) scheme on a dual-core ESP32 microcontroller. The procedure quantifies each function’s single-core runtime and the overhead of parallel execution to isolate routines whose concurrent execution yields net time savings, while excluding low-latency tasks. The resulting ESP32 implementation eliminates separate single- and dual-core code paths, simplifies development, and achieves substantial reductions in overall runtime. Experimental evaluation on a dual-core ESP32 microcontroller of ML-KEM confirms the procedure’s suitability for latency-critical applications.

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