In this episode, host Andy is joined by Paul to provide a comprehensive overview of confidential computing – what it is, why it’s important, and how it’s being implemented in cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure.
Key Takeaways:
- Confidential computing aims to protect data while it is being processed by the CPU or stored in memory, supplementing traditional protections like encryption of data at rest and in transit.
- Confidential computing can enable use cases like confidential AI model training, secure multi-party data sharing, protecting sensitive data in cloud VMs, and securing blockchain/distributed ledger systems.
- Establishing a root of trust from the hardware up through the software stack is critical for confidential computing.
Timestamps:
(03:00) The Need for Confidential Computing
(06:28) How Confidential Computing Works
(14:38) Trusted Execution Environments and Trusted Computing Base
(21:47) Confidential Computing in Azure and Beyond
(27:58) Confidential Computing in Apple’s AI
Episode Resources:
The Confidential Computing Consortium
Watch: BlueHat IL 2024 – Ben Hania, Yair Netzer – Compromising confidential VMs and then fixing it