Intel introduced Project Amber, an independent trust authority in the form of an innovative service-based security implementation.
Intel said the foundational basis of trust in a confidential computing environment is established via a process called attestation. The verification of this trustworthiness is a critical requirement for customers to protect their data and intellectual property as they move sensitive workloads to the cloud. Project Amber is the first step in creating a new multi-cloud, multi-TEE service for third-party attestation:
- Designed to be cloud-agnostic, this service will support confidential computing workloads in the public cloud, within private/hybrid cloud and at the edge. Interposing a third party to provide attestation helps provide objectivity and independence to enhance confidential computing assurance to users.
- In its first version, Project Amber intends to support confidential compute workloads deployed as bare metal containers, virtual machines (VMs) and containers running in virtual machines using Intel TEEs. The initial release will support Intel TEEs, with plans to extend coverage to platforms, devices and other TEEs in the future.
- Intel is also working with independent software vendors (ISVs) to enable trust services that include Project Amber. New software tools, such as published APIs that enable ISVs to incorporate Project Amber to augment software and services, will complement Intel’s platforms and technologies, and bring more value to customers and partners.
Intel plans to launch a customer pilot of Project Amber in the second half of 2022, followed by general availability in the first half of 2023.
“As organizations continue to capitalize on the value of the cloud, security has never been more top of mind. Trust goes hand in hand with security, and it is what our customers expect and require when delivering on Intel technology,” said Greg Lavender, chief technology officer, senior vice president and general manager of the Software and Advanced Technology Group at Intel. “With the introduction of Project Amber, Intel is taking confidential computing to the next level in our commitment to a zero-trust approach to attestation and the verification of compute assets at the network, edge and in the cloud.”
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/vision-2022-project-amber-security.html