Dr. Rosario Cammarota, Principal Engineer, Senior IEEE member, Security and Privacy Research Lab, Intel Labs, Intel Corporation

Abstract:

In spite of strong advances in confidential computing technologies, critical information is encrypted only temporarily – while not in use – and remains unencrypted during computation in most present-day computing infrastructures. The inability to keep critical information encrypted during computation can hinder the ability to fully share data and extract its maximum value.

Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) is a family of cryptographic mechanisms to protect information confidentiality during processing, it enables the processing of encrypted data without decrypting. However, the application of FHE carries a severe “performance tax” that is difficult to overcome with existing hardware.

The need for revolutionary hardware to enable FHE applications was identified by DARPA in the context of the DPRIVE program. As part of the DPRIVE program execution, Intel and Microsoft are realizing a platform to make FHE technologies more accessible by developing revolutionary hardware and software stack. Furthermore, the team is committed to the development of international standards and best practices. Overall, the initiative can enable unprecedented, cost-effective FHE performance, and pave the path for industrial deployment.

Biography:

Dr. Rosario Cammarota is a Principal Engineer in the Emerging Security Lab at Intel Labs. He leads Privacy-Enhanced Computing Research, with a focus on the theory, application, and standardization of processing encrypted data. He is the Principal Investigator for the DARPA DPRIVE program and Intel academic centers focusing on privacy and cryptography. Ro is also the lead editor and rapporteur for ISO/IEC-18033 (Part 8), which is considered the definitive global standard on Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE).

Ro received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California (Irvine) in 2013, but his passion for academic research continues till date. He serves as the Organizing Committee Member for several international conferences and workshops in computer security, embedded systems, and high-performance computing, incl. DAC, HOST, and ICS. Ro is the Editorial Board Member for the Springer International Journal of Parallel Programming (IJPP) and Associate Editor for Springer Journal on Hardware & System Security (HASS). He is a prolific author and inventor, with 50+ U.S. patents in applied cryptography, security mechanisms and protocols that have been adopted in security standards and products Ro is a Senior Member of IEEE and recipient of the SRC “Mahboob Khan” Outstanding Industry Liaison Award in 2017, 2018, and 2019.