Linux 7.5 is set to get a better AVX-512 code path for the ChaCha stream cipher, Phoronix reports. StrongSwan’s Martin Willi added a 16-block AVX-512 function tuned for modern Intel and AMD CPUs that don’t downclock under AVX-512 the way early Skylake parts did.
On current Zen 5 processors, ChaCha performance improves by as much as 99%.
My take
Boring crypto plumbing that shows up as faster VPNs and disk encryption. I’ll take it.
God Bless, and May the Source Be with You!
