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

Patterson, J. Cameron; Buchanan, William J.; Turino, Callum

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. The 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 PQC energy consumption on a Raspberry Pi when performing key generation. The framework uses both the available traditional methods and the newly standardised ML-KEM algorithm via the commonly utilised OpenSSL library.

Citation

Patterson, J. C., Buchanan, W. J., & Turino, C. (2025). Energy Consumption Framework and Analysis of Post-Quantum Key-Generation on Embedded Devices. Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, 5(3), Article 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp5030042

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 3, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Jul 3, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025
• Deposit Date: Jul 8, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 8, 2025
• Journal: Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy
• Electronic ISSN: 2624-800X
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 3
• Article Number: 42
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp5030042
• Keywords: PQC, energy consumption, Raspberry Pi, ML-KEM, FIPS 203