A computer-implemented method for deriving a hardware representation of a fixed logic circuit for performing division of an input x by a divisor selectable from a plurality of divisors, where x is an m-bit integer, includes normalising each of the plurality of divisors to form a plurality of multipliers; forming a summation array arranged to multiply the input x by any one of the plurality of multipliers; truncating the summation array by discarding all columns less significant than the k.sup.th column of the summation array below the position of a binary point, where k=[log.sub.2m]; determining a corrective constant in dependence on the maximum sum of the partial products discarded from the summation array for at least one of the multipliers; and generating a hardware representation of a fixed logic circuit implementing the truncated summation array including the corrective constant.

A hardware logic representation of a circuit to implement an operation to perform multiplication by an invariant rational is generated by truncating an infinite single summation array (which is represented in a finite way). The truncation is performed by identifying a repeating section and then discarding all but a finite number of the repeating sections whilst still satisfying a defined error bound. To further reduce the size of the summation array, the binary representation of the invariant rational is converted into canonical signed digit notation prior to creating the finite representation of the infinite array.

An arithmetic processing method is provided using a binary fixed-point arithmetic processing circuit to carry out an operation of multiplicatively dividing a dividend by a divisor. The method comprises shifting the divisor by a specific number of bits when the absolute value of the divisor is within a specific range, and holding the divisor without shifting the divisor when the absolute value of the divisor is out of the specific range, acquiring an initial value of approximation calculation for the divisor that is shifted or held without being shifted, calculating a reciprocal of the divisor by performing asymptotic approximation of the acquired initial value more than once, and calculating a product of the calculated reciprocal and the dividend, and shifting the calculated product by the specific number of bits when the divisor is shifted.

A method and apparatus for processing numeric calculation are provided. The method includes determining a shift bit and an index bit that falls within an index range of a lookup table from among bits representing a divisor scaled up by an offset, obtaining a replacement value corresponding to an index value of the determined index bit by using the lookup table, multiplying a dividend scaled up by the offset by the obtained replacement value, and outputting a value corresponding to a division operation by correcting a scale of a result of the multiplication using a right shift operation.

An execution unit for a processor, the execution unit comprising: a look up table having a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries comprising an initial estimate for a result of an operation; a preparatory circuit configured to search the look up table using an index value dependent upon the operand to locate an entry comprising a first initial estimate for a result of the operation; a plurality of processing circuits comprising at least one multiplier circuit; and control circuitry configured to provide the first initial estimate to the at least one multiplier circuit of the plurality of processing circuits so as perform processing, by the plurality of processing units, of the first initial estimate to generate the function result, said processing comprising applying one or more Newton Raphson iterations to the first initial estimate.

A secure computation technique of calculating a polynomial in a shorter calculation time is provided. A secure computation system generates concealed text [[u]] of u, which is the result of magnitude comparison between a value x and a random number r, from concealed text [[x]] by using concealed text [[r]]; generates concealed text [[c]] of a mask c from the concealed text [[x]], [[r]], and [[u]]; reconstructs the mask c from the concealed text [[c]]; calculates, for i=0, . . . , n, a coefficient b.sub.i from an order n, coefficients a.sub.0, a.sub.1, . . . , a.sub.n, and the mask c; generates, for i=1, . . . , n, concealed text [[s.sub.i]] of a selected value s.sub.i, which is determined in accordance with the result u of magnitude comparison, from the concealed text; [[u]]; and calculates a linear combination b.sub.0+b.sub.1[[s.sub.1]]+ . . . +b.sub.n[[s.sub.n]] of the coefficient b.sub.i and the concealed text [[s.sub.i]] as concealed text [[a.sub.0+a.sub.1x.sup.1+ . . . +a.sub.nx.sup.n]].

An execution unit for a processor, the execution unit comprising: a look up table having a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries comprising an initial estimate for a result of an operation; a preparatory circuit configured to search the look up table using an index value dependent upon the operand to locate an entry comprising a first initial estimate for a result of the operation; a plurality of processing circuits comprising at least one multiplier circuit; and control circuitry configured to provide the first initial estimate to the at least one multiplier circuit of the plurality of processing circuits so as perform processing, by the plurality of processing units, of the first initial estimate to generate the function result, said processing comprising applying one or more Newton Raphson iterations to the first initial estimate.

A hardware logic representation of a circuit to implement an operation to perform multiplication by an invariant rational is generated by truncating an infinite single summation array (which is represented in a finite way). The truncation is performed by identifying a repeating section and then discarding all but a finite number of the repeating sections whilst still satisfying a defined error bound. To further reduce the size of the summation array, the binary representation of the invariant rational is converted into canonical signed digit notation prior to creating the finite representation of the infinite array.

A hardware logic representation of a circuit to implement an operation to perform multiplication by an invariant rational is generated by truncating an infinite single summation array (which is represented in a finite way). The truncation is performed by identifying a repeating section and then discarding all but a finite number of the repeating sections whilst still satisfying a defined error bound. To further reduce the size of the summation array, the binary representation of the invariant rational is converted into canonical signed digit notation prior to creating the finite representation of the infinite array.

An execution unit for a processor, the execution unit comprising: a look up table having a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries comprising an initial estimate for a result of an operation; a preparatory circuit configured to search the look up table using an index value dependent upon the operand to locate an entry comprising a first initial estimate for a result of the operation; a plurality of processing circuits comprising at least one multiplier circuit; and control circuitry configured to provide the first initial estimate to the at least one multiplier circuit of the plurality of processing circuits so as perform processing, by the plurality of processing units, of the first initial estimate to generate the function result, said processing comprising applying one or more Newton Raphson iterations to the first initial estimate.