You can truncate the SHA-512 digest down to 256 bits though. Cryptographic hash functions mix well and don't suffer from the truncation (except to the extent th

You can truncate the SHA-512 digest down to 256 bits though. Cryptographic hash functions mix well and don't suffer from the truncation (except to the extent that the truncated digest is shorter, of course). You don't necessarily need more storage (after hashing completes) just because you're using a new hash function.