Performance measurements › arm_1 › kex-04 · system: x86_1 · arm_1

kex-04 DKEX (Ding Key Exchange) — performance on AArch64 (system arm_1)

Independent measurement following the structure of the NICCS ARM self-assessment guide, §3.5 (1)–(7). Not a submitter self-assessment.

1. Basic information

Category: public-key algorithm; function: key exchange
Algorithm: DKEX (Ding Key Exchange)
Implementation versions measured: reference
Parameter sets: DKEX-128, DKEX-256, DKEX-512
Security evaluation: kex-04 report
Measurement method: arm_1 method
Submission: NICCS page

2. Assessment environment

item	value
processor	Qualcomm Oryon (CPU 2, one core)
machine	ASUS Vivobook S 15
clock	fixed 2.71 GHz (governor performance, minimum = maximum), boost off, SMT none
memory	30562 MiB
OS / kernel	Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS / 7.0.0-34-generic
compiler / build tool	gcc (Ubuntu 15.2.0-16ubuntu1) 15.2.0 / cmake version 4.2.3
campaign start / end (UTC)	2026-09-28T15:05:46 / 2026-09-29T08:43:52

3. Functional testing (KAT)

Each library was checked against the submitted KAT vectors (SHA-256 manifest kex-04/kat.sha256 in the harness) before timing.

instance	build flags	KAT
`DKEX-128`	guide	PASS
`DKEX-256`	guide	PASS
`DKEX-512`	guide	PASS

4. Performance

instance	operation	mean cycles	mean time	ops/s	median trial	n (trials × iters)
`DKEX-128`	exchange	3.17 M	1.18 ms	849	1.18 ms	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-128`	init_a	215.5 k	79.9 µs	1.25e+04	80 µs	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-128`	init_b	216.1 k	80.1 µs	1.25e+04	80 µs	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-128`	pass1	173.4 k	64.3 µs	1.56e+04	64.1 µs	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-128`	pass2	1.13 M	420 µs	2.38e+03	419 µs	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-128`	pass3	1.20 M	447 µs	2.24e+03	447 µs	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-128`	derive_a	2854	1.01 µs	9.91e+05	1.01 µs	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-128`	derive_b	234.6 k	87 µs	1.15e+04	87 µs	3040 (5 × 608)
`DKEX-256`	exchange	7.27 M	2.7 ms	371	2.7 ms	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-256`	init_a	600.4 k	223 µs	4.49e+03	223 µs	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-256`	init_b	599.8 k	223 µs	4.49e+03	223 µs	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-256`	pass1	532.4 k	197 µs	5.06e+03	197 µs	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-256`	pass2	2.40 M	892 µs	1.12e+03	891 µs	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-256`	pass3	2.51 M	930 µs	1.07e+03	930 µs	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-256`	derive_a	2856	1.01 µs	9.92e+05	1.01 µs	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-256`	derive_b	625.3 k	232 µs	4.31e+03	232 µs	1015 (5 × 203)
`DKEX-512`	exchange	10.57 M	3.92 ms	255	3.92 ms	840 (5 × 168)
`DKEX-512`	init_a	600.9 k	223 µs	4.49e+03	223 µs	840 (5 × 168)
`DKEX-512`	init_b	600.4 k	223 µs	4.49e+03	223 µs	840 (5 × 168)
`DKEX-512`	pass1	1.86 M	691 µs	1.45e+03	691 µs	840 (5 × 168)
`DKEX-512`	pass2	4.09 M	1.52 ms	659	1.52 ms	840 (5 × 168)
`DKEX-512`	pass3	2.77 M	1.03 ms	972	1.03 ms	840 (5 × 168)
`DKEX-512`	derive_a	8226	3.02 µs	3.31e+05	3.02 µs	840 (5 × 168)
`DKEX-512`	derive_b	630.8 k	234 µs	4.27e+03	234 µs	840 (5 × 168)

5. Resource consumption

Static memory is approximated by the library's loadable ELF segments; peak memory is the process high-water mark (VmHWM) including the benchmark driver and libc, so both are upper-bound proxies rather than isolated algorithm memory.

instance	operation	static: ELF image (bytes)	baseline RSS	peak RSS
`DKEX-128`	exchange	51892	3620 KiB	3684 KiB
`DKEX-128`	init_a	51892	1604 KiB	1668 KiB
`DKEX-128`	init_b	51892	1604 KiB	1668 KiB
`DKEX-128`	pass1	51892	1604 KiB	1668 KiB
`DKEX-128`	pass2	51892	3544 KiB	3608 KiB
`DKEX-128`	pass3	51892	1604 KiB	1668 KiB
`DKEX-128`	derive_a	51892	3620 KiB	3684 KiB
`DKEX-128`	derive_b	51892	1604 KiB	1668 KiB
`DKEX-256`	exchange	52748	1780 KiB	1844 KiB
`DKEX-256`	init_a	52748	1780 KiB	1844 KiB
`DKEX-256`	init_b	52748	1776 KiB	1840 KiB
`DKEX-256`	pass1	52748	1780 KiB	1844 KiB
`DKEX-256`	pass2	52748	1776 KiB	1840 KiB
`DKEX-256`	pass3	52748	3692 KiB	3756 KiB
`DKEX-256`	derive_a	52748	1780 KiB	1844 KiB
`DKEX-256`	derive_b	52748	1780 KiB	1844 KiB
`DKEX-512`	exchange	53740	3864 KiB	3928 KiB
`DKEX-512`	init_a	53740	3616 KiB	3680 KiB
`DKEX-512`	init_b	53740	1836 KiB	1912 KiB
`DKEX-512`	pass1	53740	1840 KiB	1916 KiB
`DKEX-512`	pass2	53740	1840 KiB	1916 KiB
`DKEX-512`	pass3	53740	3712 KiB	3776 KiB
`DKEX-512`	derive_a	53740	1840 KiB	1916 KiB
`DKEX-512`	derive_b	53740	3716 KiB	3780 KiB

6. Transmission and storage overhead

Bandwidth counts all specified protocol messages and each required public key once. Public keys are transmitted bytes too. Certificates and transport framing are excluded. The published raw timing records are unchanged.

instance	passes	messages (bytes; raw API)	protocol-message bytes	public key A / B	bandwidth (bytes)	long-term sk (API cap)	shared secret
`DKEX-128`	3	800 / 3188 / 2420	6408	1312 / 1312	9032	2560	32
`DKEX-256`	3	1568 / 6195 / 4627	12390	2592 / 2592	17574	4896	32
`DKEX-512`	3	3392 / 7699 / 4627	15718	2592 / 2592	20902	4896	64

Symmetric primitives

Survey verdict: mixed — KEX core via ICCS; embedded ML-DSA uses its own SHAKE

Share of each operation spent in the ICCS placeholder hash functions and in the ICCS DRNG (reference build, measured in the same run with link-time wrappers):

instance	operation	pseudohash/XOF/sm3	DRNG	calls per operation
`DKEX-128`	exchange	14%	0.6%	drng 4, pseudoXOF 1, sm3hash 186
`DKEX-256`	exchange	16%	0.3%	drng 4, pseudoXOF 1, sm3hash 585
`DKEX-512`	exchange	40%	0.2%	drng 4, pseudoXOF 5, sm3hash 1.23e+03

7. Raw evidence index

Paths are relative to performance/data/arm_1/ in the harness; each JSON file records its commands, environment and trials.

instance	item	file
`DKEX-128`	KAT log (sha256 `6de87a5477330449…`)	`kat/kex-04/DKEX-128.log`
`DKEX-128`	timing derive_a	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__derive_a.json`
`DKEX-128`	timing derive_b	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__derive_b.json`
`DKEX-128`	timing exchange	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__exchange.json`
`DKEX-128`	timing init_a	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__init_a.json`
`DKEX-128`	timing init_b	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__init_b.json`
`DKEX-128`	timing pass1	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__pass1.json`
`DKEX-128`	timing pass2	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__pass2.json`
`DKEX-128`	timing pass3	`records/kex-04/DKEX-128__pass3.json`
`DKEX-128`	hash profile exchange	`profile/kex-04/DKEX-128__exchange.json`
`DKEX-256`	KAT log (sha256 `46c525733f5ec01c…`)	`kat/kex-04/DKEX-256.log`
`DKEX-256`	timing derive_a	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__derive_a.json`
`DKEX-256`	timing derive_b	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__derive_b.json`
`DKEX-256`	timing exchange	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__exchange.json`
`DKEX-256`	timing init_a	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__init_a.json`
`DKEX-256`	timing init_b	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__init_b.json`
`DKEX-256`	timing pass1	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__pass1.json`
`DKEX-256`	timing pass2	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__pass2.json`
`DKEX-256`	timing pass3	`records/kex-04/DKEX-256__pass3.json`
`DKEX-256`	hash profile exchange	`profile/kex-04/DKEX-256__exchange.json`
`DKEX-512`	KAT log (sha256 `b1fcb3f7d7440d71…`)	`kat/kex-04/DKEX-512.log`
`DKEX-512`	timing derive_a	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__derive_a.json`
`DKEX-512`	timing derive_b	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__derive_b.json`
`DKEX-512`	timing exchange	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__exchange.json`
`DKEX-512`	timing init_a	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__init_a.json`
`DKEX-512`	timing init_b	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__init_b.json`
`DKEX-512`	timing pass1	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__pass1.json`
`DKEX-512`	timing pass2	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__pass2.json`
`DKEX-512`	timing pass3	`records/kex-04/DKEX-512__pass3.json`
`DKEX-512`	hash profile exchange	`profile/kex-04/DKEX-512__exchange.json`

Scripts: performance/campaign.py, performance/ngcc_perf.c, performance/hashprof/ in the harness.