Project Amber from Intel

Intel introduces a new service codenamed Project Amber designed for providing organizations with remote verification of trustworthiness in the cloud, edge, and on-premises environments.

It operates as an independent trust authority in the form of an innovative service-based security implementation code. It will focus on one of the most critical security elements for any organization: trust.

Intel argues that businesses operating in and depending on the cloud to support remote workforces require technology solutions that secure data not only in memory and in transit but also in use protecting valuable assets and minimizing attack surfaces.

This will provide organizations with remote verification of the trustworthiness of computing assets in the cloud, edge, and on-premises environments. The service operates independently of the infrastructure provider hosting the confidential compute workloads.

This will be Intel’s first step in creating a new multi-cloud, multi-trusted execution environment or TEE service for third-party attestation. The project is cloud-agnostic and will support confidential computing workloads in the public cloud, private/hybrid cloud, and edge.

The initial release will support confidential compute workloads deployed as bare-metal containers, virtual machines, 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 also working with independent software vendors to enable trust services that include Project Amber. New software tools, such as published application programming interfaces, are being designed to enable ISVs to incorporate Project Amber to augment software and services that complement Intel’s platforms and technologies.

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.