diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index f1d223b71..1dc55f164 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -4,3 +4,6 @@
 [submodule "intel-ipsec-mb"]
 	path = intel-ipsec-mb
 	url = https://github.com/spdk/intel-ipsec-mb.git
+[submodule "isa-l"]
+	path = isa-l
+	url = https://github.com/spdk/isa-l.git
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a6f7f13c8..fa999dad4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ A new public header file env_dpdk.h has been introduced, and function spdk_env_d
 is added into it. If user is using DPDK, and already called rte_eal_init, then include
 include/spdk/env_dpdk.h, and call spdk_env_dpdk_post_init() instead of spdk_env_init.
 
+ISA-L has been added as an SPDK submodule.  ISA-L is enabled by default on x86 architecture
+to accelerate algorithms such as CRC for iSCSI and NVMe-oF.  Users may still disable ISA-L
+by explicitly passing --without-isal to the configure script.
+
 ### util
 
 A new uuid API `spdk_uuid_copy` was added to make a copy of the source uuid.
diff --git a/CONFIG b/CONFIG
index 5a4c20edb..4267be93c 100644
--- a/CONFIG
+++ b/CONFIG
@@ -129,3 +129,6 @@ CONFIG_IPSEC_MB=n
 CONFIG_OCF=n
 CONFIG_OCF_PATH=
 CONFIG_CUSTOMOCF=n
+
+# Build ISA-L library
+CONFIG_ISAL=y
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c6ecb9750..113eedf49 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ DIRS-$(CONFIG_SHARED) += shared_lib
 DIRS-y += examples app include
 DIRS-$(CONFIG_TESTS) += test
 DIRS-$(CONFIG_IPSEC_MB) += ipsecbuild
+DIRS-$(CONFIG_ISAL) += isalbuild
 
 .PHONY: all clean $(DIRS-y) include/spdk/config.h mk/config.mk mk/cc.mk \
 	cc_version cxx_version .libs_only_other .ldflags ldflags
@@ -64,6 +65,10 @@ ifeq ($(CONFIG_IPSEC_MB),y)
 LIB += ipsecbuild
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(CONFIG_ISAL),y)
+LIB += isalbuild
+endif
+
 all: $(DIRS-y)
 clean: $(DIRS-y)
 	$(Q)rm -f mk/cc.mk
diff --git a/autobuild.sh b/autobuild.sh
index 51c80b93c..becb9c972 100755
--- a/autobuild.sh
+++ b/autobuild.sh
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ if [ "$SPDK_TEST_OCF" -eq 1 ]; then
 	# They don't need to be checked with scanbuild and code coverage is not applicable
 	# So we precompile OCF now for further use as standalone static library
 	./configure $(echo $config_params | sed 's/--enable-coverage//g')
+	$MAKE $MAKEFLAGS include/spdk/config.h
 	CC=gcc CCAR=ar $MAKE $MAKEFLAGS -C lib/bdev/ocf/env exportlib O=$rootdir/build/ocf.a
 	# Set config to use precompiled library
 	config_params="$config_params --with-ocf=/$rootdir/build/ocf.a"
diff --git a/autopackage.sh b/autopackage.sh
index ed898ee5e..33cd88ccc 100755
--- a/autopackage.sh
+++ b/autopackage.sh
@@ -26,8 +26,10 @@ dpdk_pv=dpdk-$(date +%Y_%m_%d)
 dpdk_tarball=${dpdk_pv}.tar
 ipsec_pv=ipsec-$(date +%Y_%m_%d)
 ipsec_tarball=${ipsec_pv}.tar
+isal_pv=isal-$(date +%Y_%m_%d)
+isal_tarball=${isal_pv}.tar
 
-find . -iname "spdk-*.tar* dpdk-*.tar* ipsec-*.tar*" -delete
+find . -iname "spdk-*.tar* dpdk-*.tar* ipsec-*.tar* isal-*.tar*" -delete
 git archive HEAD^{tree} --prefix=${spdk_pv}/ -o ${spdk_tarball}
 
 # Build from packaged source
@@ -49,6 +51,13 @@ if [ -d "intel-ipsec-mb" ]; then
 	tar -C "$tmpdir/${spdk_pv}" -xf $ipsec_tarball
 fi
 
+if [ -d "isa-l" ]; then
+	cd isa-l
+	git archive HEAD^{tree} --prefix=isa-l/ -o ../${isal_tarball}
+	cd ..
+	tar -C "$tmpdir/${spdk_pv}" -xf $isal_tarball
+fi
+
 (
 	cd "$tmpdir"/spdk-*
 	# use $config_params to get the right dependency options, but disable coverage and ubsan
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 492fe09c8..962ff6170 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ function usage()
 	echo "                           If argument is directory, interpret it as root of OCF repo"
 	echo "                           If argument is file, interpret it as compiled OCF lib"
 	echo "                           example: /usr/src/ocf/"
+	echo " isal                      Enabled by default on x86 architecture. Can be built without though."
+	echo "                           No path required."
 	echo ""
 	echo "Environment variables:"
 	echo ""
@@ -281,6 +283,12 @@ for i in "$@"; do
 			CONFIG[OCF]=n
 			CONFIG[OCF_PATH]=
 			;;
+		--with-isal)
+                        CONFIG[ISAL]=y
+                        ;;
+                --without-isal)
+                        CONFIG[ISAL]=n
+                        ;;
 		--)
 			break
 			;;
@@ -291,6 +299,13 @@ for i in "$@"; do
 	esac
 done
 
+# Detect architecture and force no isal if non x86 archtecture
+arch=$(uname -i)
+if [[ $arch != x86_64* ]]; then
+	echo "Notice: ISAL auto-disabled due to CPU incompatiblity."
+	CONFIG[ISAL]=n
+fi
+
 if [ -z "${CONFIG[ENV]}" ]; then
 	rootdir=$(readlink -f $(dirname $0))
 	CONFIG[ENV]=$rootdir/lib/env_dpdk
@@ -385,13 +400,40 @@ than or equal to 4.14 will see significantly reduced performance.
 	fi
 fi
 
-if [[ "${CONFIG[CRYPTO]}" = "y" ]]; then
-	if [[ $(nasm -v | sed 's/[^0-9]*//g' | awk '{print substr ($0, 0, 5)}') -lt "21202" ]]; then
-		echo Crypto requires NASM version 2.12.02 or newer.  Please install
-		echo or upgrade then re-run this script.
+if [[ "${CONFIG[ISAL]}" = "y" ]] || [[ "${CONFIG[CRYPTO]}" = "y" ]]; then
+        if [[ $(nasm -v | sed 's/[^0-9]*//g' | awk '{print substr ($0, 0, 5)}') -lt "21202" ]]; then
+		echo "Notice: ISAL, compression & crypto auto-disabled due to nasm dependency."
+		echo "These features require NASM version 2.12.02 or newer.  Please install"
+		echo "or upgrade then re-run this script."
+		CONFIG[ISAL]=n
+		CONFIG[CRYPTO]=n
+		CONFIG[IPSEC_MB]=n
+	else
+		if [[ "${CONFIG[CRYPTO]}" = "y" ]]; then
+			CONFIG[IPSEC_MB]=y
+		fi
+	fi
+fi
+
+if [[ "${CONFIG[ISAL]}" = "y" ]]; then
+	if [ ! -d "$rootdir"/isa-l ]; then
+		echo "isa-l folder is not found; If you do want to install isa-l, run:"
+		echo "  git submodule update --init"
 		exit 1
 	fi
-	CONFIG[IPSEC_MB]=y
+
+	if [[ "${CONFIG[RBD]}" = "y" ]]; then
+		echo "ISAL and RBD cannot co-exist currently so disabling ISAL."
+		CONFIG[ISAL]=n
+	else
+		cd $rootdir/isa-l
+		ISAL_LOG=/tmp/spdk-isal.log
+		echo -n "Configuring ISA-L (logfile: $ISAL_LOG)..."
+		./autogen.sh &> $ISAL_LOG
+		./configure CFLAGS="-fPIC -g -O2" --enable-shared=no >> $ISAL_LOG 2>&1
+		echo "done."
+		cd $rootdir
+	fi
 fi
 
 if [[ "${CONFIG[REDUCE]}" = "y" ]]; then
diff --git a/include/spdk/crc32.h b/include/spdk/crc32.h
index 2074d3ad8..dbe961f12 100644
--- a/include/spdk/crc32.h
+++ b/include/spdk/crc32.h
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 #define SPDK_CRC32_H
 
 #include "spdk/stdinc.h"
+#include "spdk/config.h"
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
@@ -53,9 +54,14 @@ extern "C" {
 #endif
 
 #if defined(__x86_64__) && defined(__SSE4_2__)
+#ifdef SPDK_CONFIG_ISAL
+#define SPDK_HAVE_ISAL
+#include <isa-l/include/crc.h>
+#else
 #define SPDK_HAVE_SSE4_2
 #include <x86intrin.h>
 #endif
+#endif
 /**
  * IEEE CRC-32 polynomial (bit reflected)
  */
diff --git a/isa-l b/isa-l
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..09e787231
--- /dev/null
+++ b/isa-l
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 09e787231b31add1234ec9a3dfe718533f1c3bf4
diff --git a/isalbuild/Makefile b/isalbuild/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3fc8171bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/isalbuild/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#
+#  BSD LICENSE
+#
+#  Copyright (c) Intel Corporation.
+#  All rights reserved.
+#
+#  Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+#  modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
+#  are met:
+#
+#    * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+#      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+#    * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+#      notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in
+#      the documentation and/or other materials provided with the
+#      distribution.
+#    * Neither the name of Intel Corporation nor the names of its
+#      contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
+#      from this software without specific prior written permission.
+#
+#  THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
+#  "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
+#  LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
+#  A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
+#  OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
+#  SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
+#  LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
+#  DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
+#  THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
+#  (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
+#  OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+#
+
+SPDK_ROOT_DIR := $(abspath $(CURDIR)/..)
+include $(SPDK_ROOT_DIR)/mk/spdk.common.mk
+
+.PHONY: all clean install
+
+ifneq ($(Q),)
+REDIRECT=> /dev/null
+endif
+
+all:
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C $(SPDK_ROOT_DIR)/isa-l -j$(NPROC) all CC=cc $(REDIRECT)
+
+install: all
+
+clean:
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C $(SPDK_ROOT_DIR)/isa-l clean $(REDIRECT)
diff --git a/lib/util/crc32c.c b/lib/util/crc32c.c
index a8a35a57a..65c8a673c 100644
--- a/lib/util/crc32c.c
+++ b/lib/util/crc32c.c
@@ -33,7 +33,15 @@
 
 #include "spdk/crc32.h"
 
-#ifdef SPDK_HAVE_SSE4_2
+#ifdef SPDK_HAVE_ISAL
+
+uint32_t
+spdk_crc32c_update(const void *buf, size_t len, uint32_t crc)
+{
+	return crc32_iscsi((unsigned char *)buf, len, crc);
+}
+
+#elif defined(SPDK_HAVE_SSE4_2)
 
 uint32_t
 spdk_crc32c_update(const void *buf, size_t len, uint32_t crc)
diff --git a/mk/spdk.common.mk b/mk/spdk.common.mk
index 1e5bff5c2..52e28a46f 100644
--- a/mk/spdk.common.mk
+++ b/mk/spdk.common.mk
@@ -144,6 +144,12 @@ endif
 
 IPSEC_MB_DIR=$(SPDK_ROOT_DIR)/intel-ipsec-mb
 
+ISAL_DIR=$(SPDK_ROOT_DIR)/isa-l
+ifeq ($(CONFIG_ISAL), y)
+SYS_LIBS += -L$(ISAL_DIR)/.libs -lisal
+COMMON_CFLAGS += -I$(ISAL_DIR)/..
+endif
+
 #Attach only if FreeBSD and RDMA is specified with configure
 ifeq ($(OS),FreeBSD)
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_RDMA),y)
diff --git a/scripts/pkgdep.sh b/scripts/pkgdep.sh
index fb5074de3..c385604ed 100755
--- a/scripts/pkgdep.sh
+++ b/scripts/pkgdep.sh
@@ -71,6 +71,8 @@ if [ -s /etc/redhat-release ]; then
 	if ! echo "$ID $VERSION_ID" | egrep -q 'rhel 7|centos 7'; then
 		yum install -y python3-configshell python3-pexpect
 	fi
+	# Additional dependencies for ISA-L used in compression
+	yum install -y autoconf automake libtool
 elif [ -f /etc/debian_version ]; then
 	# Includes Ubuntu, Debian
 	apt-get install -y gcc g++ make libcunit1-dev libaio-dev libssl-dev \
@@ -86,6 +88,8 @@ elif [ -f /etc/debian_version ]; then
 	# Additional dependencies for SPDK CLI - not available on older Ubuntus
 	apt-get install -y python3-configshell-fb python3-pexpect || echo \
 		"Note: Some SPDK CLI dependencies could not be installed."
+	# Additional dependencies for ISA-L used in compression
+	apt-get install -y autoconf automake libtool
 elif [ -f /etc/SuSE-release ]; then
 	zypper install -y gcc gcc-c++ make cunit-devel libaio-devel libopenssl-devel \
 		git-core lcov python-base python-pep8 libuuid-devel sg3_utils pciutils
@@ -99,11 +103,15 @@ elif [ -f /etc/SuSE-release ]; then
 	zypper install -y libpmemblk-devel
 	# Additional dependencies for building docs
 	zypper install -y doxygen mscgen graphviz
+	# Additional dependencies for ISA-L used in compression
+	zypper install -y autoconf automake libtool
 elif [ $(uname -s) = "FreeBSD" ] ; then
 	pkg install -y gmake cunit openssl git devel/astyle bash py27-pycodestyle \
 		python misc/e2fsprogs-libuuid sysutils/sg3_utils nasm
 	# Additional dependencies for building docs
 	pkg install -y doxygen mscgen graphviz
+	# Additional dependencies for ISA-L used in compression
+	pkg install -y autoconf automake libtool
 else
 	echo "pkgdep: unknown system type."
 	exit 1
diff --git a/scripts/vagrant/autorun-spdk.conf b/scripts/vagrant/autorun-spdk.conf
index 4a2c885c3..3ee8f3eca 100644
--- a/scripts/vagrant/autorun-spdk.conf
+++ b/scripts/vagrant/autorun-spdk.conf
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ SPDK_RUN_CHECK_FORMAT=1
 SPDK_RUN_SCANBUILD=1
 SPDK_RUN_VALGRIND=1
 SPDK_TEST_UNITTEST=1
+SPDK_TEST_ISAL=1
 SPDK_TEST_ISCSI=0
 SPDK_TEST_ISCSI_INITIATOR=0
 SPDK_TEST_NVME=0
diff --git a/test/common/autotest_common.sh b/test/common/autotest_common.sh
index 3f257e4b9..28760ff01 100644
--- a/test/common/autotest_common.sh
+++ b/test/common/autotest_common.sh
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ fi
 : ${SPDK_RUN_SCANBUILD=1}; export SPDK_RUN_SCANBUILD
 : ${SPDK_RUN_VALGRIND=1}; export SPDK_RUN_VALGRIND
 : ${SPDK_TEST_UNITTEST=1}; export SPDK_TEST_UNITTEST
+: ${SPDK_TEST_ISAL=1}; export SPDK_TEST_ISAL
 : ${SPDK_TEST_ISCSI=1}; export SPDK_TEST_ISCSI
 : ${SPDK_TEST_ISCSI_INITIATOR=1}; export SPDK_TEST_ISCSI_INITIATOR
 : ${SPDK_TEST_NVME=1}; export SPDK_TEST_NVME
@@ -197,6 +198,10 @@ if [ $SPDK_TEST_FTL -eq 1 ]; then
 	config_params+=' --with-ftl'
 fi
 
+if [ $SPDK_TEST_ISAL -eq 0 ]; then
+	config_params+=' --without-isal'
+fi
+
 export config_params
 
 if [ -z "$output_dir" ]; then