DigiCert extending PKI to confidential computing

DigiCert is collaborating with Google Cloud to bring independent trust validation to confidential computing environments.

Under the collaboration, DigiCert will provide cryptographic verification for cloud-hosted systems hosting sensitive applications, AI workloads and critical operations.

The solution will be based on the principles of public key infrastructure (PKI), which are already being used to secure internet connections. The collaboration involves extending these principles to confidential computing environments.

The company will use cryptographic signatures, certificates and identity validation to independently attest that workloads and computing environments hosted in Google Cloud are authentic, trusted and untampered.

DigiCert CEO Amit Sinha said demand for multi-layered infrastructure assurance is growing at pace as organisations handle larger volumes of sensitive data.

“For decades, PKI has enabled trusted interactions across the internet. We are now extending those same trust principles to confidential computing and cloud infrastructure,” he said.

Google Cloud Director of Product Management for Confidential Computing and Encryption Nelly Porter added that confidential computing is built on the principle that customers should be able to verify the integrity of their workloads.

“By collaborating with DigiCert on independent attestation, we’re extending that principle and providing customers with an additional layer of assurance for sensitive cloud workloads,” she said.

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