askvity

How Do I Enable Intel AES?

Published in BIOS Settings 2 mins read

Enabling Intel AES, often referred to as Intel AES-NI (Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions), is typically done through your system's BIOS or UEFI settings. This feature provides hardware acceleration for encrypting and decrypting data using the AES standard, significantly improving performance.

The process involves navigating through the system configuration menus to find the relevant processor settings.

Steps to Enable Intel AES-NI

Based on the provided information, you can enable Processor AES-NI Support by following these steps within the System Utilities or BIOS/Platform Configuration (RBSU):

  1. Access System Utilities: Start by entering the System Utilities screen during system boot. The key to enter this (often F1, F2, Del, F10, or F12) varies depending on your system manufacturer.
  2. Navigate to System Configuration: From the System Utilities screen, select System Configuration.
  3. Access BIOS/Platform Configuration: Within System Configuration, choose BIOS/Platform Configuration (RBSU).
  4. Go to Server Security: Navigate to the Server Security option.
  5. Select Processor AES-NI Support: Locate and select Processor AES-NI Support.
  6. Choose the Setting: Select the desired setting for AES-NI support. The reference provides the following options:
    • Enabled: Enables AES-NI support, utilizing hardware acceleration for AES tasks.
    • Disabled: Disables AES-NI support, relying on software for AES operations.
  7. Save Your Changes: After selecting 'Enabled', make sure to save your changes before exiting the BIOS/UEFI setup. This step is crucial for the setting to take effect.

Saving and exiting the BIOS will typically cause the system to reboot. Once the system restarts, Intel AES-NI support should be enabled.

Why Enable Intel AES-NI?

Enabling AES-NI provides significant performance benefits for applications that utilize AES encryption, such as:

  • Disk encryption (e.g., BitLocker, VeraCrypt)
  • Secure communication protocols (e.g., TLS/SSL)
  • VPNs
  • File archiving with encryption

Hardware acceleration offloads these complex computations from the CPU, resulting in faster encryption/decryption speeds and reduced CPU load.

By following these steps, you can ensure your system leverages the power of Intel's hardware-accelerated AES instructions for improved security and performance.

Related Articles