Abstract: This paper introduces implementation of AES on Tensilica’s Xtensa processors. Advance Encryption Standard (AES) is a specification for the encryption of electronic data established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This paper illustrates the efficiency and performance of Tensilica Xtensa processors in accelerating encryption and decryption on Xilinx Kinex7 FPGA. Xtensa processors offer performance that competes with the hardware solutions at the same time provides the benefits of flexibility and programmability of software solutions.

Keywords: Xtensa, Processor, Configurable, Programmable, Cryptography, Encryption, Decryption, AES.