Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Enabled Post-Quantum Cryptography for Real-World Deployment of Secure and Resilient Communication for Intelligent Transportation Systems

Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) communication, standardized in 3GPP Release 14/15 PC5 sidelink mode, is the US DOT-approved technology for direct V2V (vehicle-to vehicle)/ V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure) communications in the 5.9 GHz band. Current standards and specifications (e.g., SAE J3161 and USDOT/ITE RSU requirements) mandate PC5 Mode 4 operation to enable interoperable safety messaging using conventional cryptographic methods, such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). However, existing cryptographic methods are vulnerable to quantum-computing-based attacks. Thus, integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) into C-V2X communication is imperative to ensure future resilience. However, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-standardized PQC algorithms introduce large key sizes and computational complexity, resulting in significant latency and bandwidth overhead. These effects risk violating the 100-ms end-to-end delay requirement for 10 Hz Basic Safety Messages (BSMs) and can congest the 5.9-GHz safety channel. Moreover, the direct integration of PQC into current communication standards, such as IEEE 1609.2 and ETSI, poses challenges because these frameworks were originally designed for lightweight ECC-based operations. Similarly, post-quantum Homomorphic Encryption (HE) offers robust privacy protection by allowing computation directly on encrypted data without decryption; however, its high computational cost and ciphertext expansion currently limit its use in latency-critical V2X and infrastructure-to-infrastructure (I2I) scenarios. Therefore, deploying PQC and HE within operational testbeds demands optimized scheduling, resource allocation, and adaptive algorithm management to balance cryptographic strength with real-time constraints. To address these challenges, this project aims to develop and evaluate artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled PQC through real-world prototype implementation and testbed integration, thereby enabling the real-world deployment of secure and resilient communication in intelligent transportation systems. Specifically, the objectives of this project are: (i) implementation and real-world evaluation of an AI-enabled PQC integration and dynamic switching framework for C-V2X communication; (ii) real-world evaluation of a privacy-preserving roadside unit (RSU)-Cloud (I2C) communication pipeline using post-quantum homomorphic encryption; and (iii) development of a federated learning framework for collaborative PQC selection policies. To address the USDOT and TraCR 2025–2026 priorities, this project emphasizes field-tested prototypes and operational validation, rather than simulation-only evaluation, to ensure deployment relevance. This project will directly contribute to the deployment of PQC-enabled V2X communication for a secure and reliable connected transportation system.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.clemson.edu/cecas/tracr/research/projects/#artificialintelligenceaienabledpostquantumcryptographyforrealworlddeploymentofsecureandresilientcommunicationforintelligenttransportationsystems

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $304,508.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552344812

  69A3552348317

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

  Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
  P.O. Box 870205
  Tuscaloosa, AL  United States  35487-0205

  Clemson University

  216 Lowry Hall
  Clemson, SC, SC  United States  29634

  Florida International University

  10555 West Flagler Street
  Miami, FL  United States  33174
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Transportation Cybersecurity and Resiliency (TraCR)

  Clemson University
  Clemson, SC  United States 

  University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

  Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
  P.O. Box 870205
  Tuscaloosa, AL  United States  35487-0205
• Project Managers:

  Chowdhury, Mashrur

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

  Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
  P.O. Box 870205
  Tuscaloosa, AL  United States  35487-0205

  Clemson University

  216 Lowry Hall
  Clemson, SC, SC  United States  29634

  Florida International University

  10555 West Flagler Street
  Miami, FL  United States  33174
• Principal Investigators:

  Rahman, Mizanur

  Alsharif, Ahmad

  Dasgupta, Sagar

  Chowdhury, Mashrur

  Amini , Mohammadhadi

  Rishe,  Naphtali

• Start Date: 20260401
• Expected Completion Date: 20270331
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Artificial intelligence; Blockchains; Computer security; Connected vehicles; Data privacy; Vehicle to everything communications; Vehicular ad hoc networks
• Identifier Terms: IEEE 1609.2
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01988367
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Transportation Cybersecurity and Resiliency (TraCR)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552344812, 69A3552348317
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Apr 29 2026 4:39PM