Exploring Intel's PCLMULQDQ instruction I find in Apple's header file cpuid.h: /System/Library/Frameworks/Kernel.framework/Versions/A/Headers/i386/cpuid.h ... * The CPUID_FEATURE_XXX values define 64-bit values * returned in %ecx:%edx to a CPUID request with %eax of 1: ... #define _HBit(n) (1ULL << ((n)+32)) ... #define CPUID_FEATURE_PCLMULQDQ _HBit(1) /* PCLMULQDQ instruction */ See "Example 13-3." (pp 303) For pclmulqdq see pp 1069 (INSTRUCTION SET REFERENCE, M-Z) Compare with mulq defined at pp 1007. mulq %rsi pclmulqdq %rsi mulq puts answer in RDX:RAX pclmulqdq takes its inputs and returns its results in registers with names such as "xmm1". Try http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/X86-Built_002din-Functions.html Search for "pclmulqdq". It seems that my Mac is too old.