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2450539

Cooperative Agreement

Overview

Grant Description
CIRC: GRAND: Enabling the next generation of cryptographic computing with Cryptolets - An emerging form of data processing named cryptographic computing enables computation on encrypted data, providing unprecedented levels of privacy and security.

However, these techniques are not widely used today as they run very slowly on existing processors and hardware.

This project will implement the infrastructure needed to enable researchers to develop new hardware designs that can overcome these performance limitations and enable cryptographic computing.

Throughout this project, named Cryptolets, the team will implement the hardware and software needed to accelerate core cryptographic computing functions in hardware, the infrastructure to connect these pieces, and software to validate it.

Cryptolets will focus on three intertwined efforts.

First, it will implement and open source a hardware library of key operators and kernels used in cryptographic computing (e.g., modular multiplication, number theoretic transform, and multi-scalar multiplication), and prototypes of existing full protocol accelerators (e.g., homomorphic encryption).

Second, it will develop infrastructure needed to connect and build chips.

This includes automated scripts to run necessary hardware tools and chiplet interfaces.

Since cryptographic computing kernels are complex and large, Cryptolets provides users the ability to break designs into smaller chips and connect them.

Third, it will provide tooling support for formal verification, testing for side-channels, and test vectors for validation.

Cryptolets will develop suites of educational resources and conduct numerous community building events to advance cryptographic computing.

First, the Cryptolets team will develop, record, and release lectures on the fundamentals of cryptographic computing, hardware for cryptographic computing, chiplets, formal verification, and benchmarking.

Community building exercises will be done via workshops and online events for experts and newcomers across disciplines to connect.

Finally, by releasing Cryptolets infrastructure, the barrier to entry is significantly lowered.

Coupled with education and community building activities, the research community is expected to grow markedly.

All aspects of the project (e.g., code, lectures, slides, and papers) will be made publicly available for all to access and use.

All Cryptolet material and code can be found on the website: Cryptolets.org.

Websites and repositories are expected to be hosted indefinitely.

In addition, archival records of the Cryptolets project (e.g., code, data, reports) will be taken and uploaded at the midway (end of year 2) and final (end of year 4) phases of the project.

This will provide a permanent and open backup on the internet for all to access.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Subawards are not planned for this award.
Funding Goals
THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESEARCH IN COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF23589
Place of Performance
New York, New York 10012-1019 United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Analysis Notes
Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 41% from $2,699,593 to $3,800,000.
New York University was awarded Accelerating Cryptographic Computing with Cryptolets Cooperative Agreement 2450539 worth $3,800,000 from the Division of Computer and Network Systems in October 2025 with work to be completed primarily in New York New York United States. The grant has a duration of 4 years and was awarded through assistance program 47.070 Computer and Information Science and Engineering. The Cooperative Agreement was awarded through grant opportunity Community Infrastructure for Research in Computer and Information Science and Engineering.

Status
(Ongoing)

Last Modified 11/17/25

Period of Performance
10/1/25
Start Date
9/30/29
End Date
3.0% Complete

Funding Split
$3.8M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$3.8M
Total Obligated
100.0% Federal Funding
0.0% Non-Federal Funding

Activity Timeline

Interactive chart of timeline of amendments to 2450539

Transaction History

Modifications to 2450539

Additional Detail

Award ID FAIN
2450539
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Private Institution Of Higher Education
Awarding Office
490505 DIV OF COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEMS
Funding Office
490505 DIV OF COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEMS
Awardee UEI
NX9PXMKW5KW8
Awardee CAGE
72061
Performance District
NY-10
Senators
Kirsten Gillibrand
Charles Schumer
Modified: 11/17/25