Cryptography core implementation starting from Open-Source RTL

The chip shortage and demand for skilled workers have driven the adoption of open-source tools and IP reuse in the industry. This paper presents the design and implementation of a low power, small area IC encryption core, based on the AES protocol. Starting from open-source RTL modules, such as the CPU, the AES and the UART, three buffers and a peripheral adapter have been designed to enable the entire crypto-system integration (AESCRYPT), hence enabling the system to serve as a central hub for data encrypt within a larger framework. By developing the UVM-based verification environment, the AESCRYPT system was verified before and after implementation in a 65nm technology, demonstrating its full functionality.