Apple will host its annual developer-focused event, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), in less than two weeks. The Cupertino tech giant is expected to introduce several new artificial intelligence (AI) features to Siri, Safari browser, Photos app and more during the event. It was previously reported that some of these features could be server-based, which could create privacy concerns among its user base. However, a new report now suggests that the company has developed a confidential computing technique to ensure privacy even in the cloud.
Apple said it would bring confidential computing features to AI
According to a report by The Information, the company is working on a technology that allows it to process data on servers in a way that will be inaccessible to anyone, including Apple employees. In industry terms, it is known as confidential computing, a method of isolating data within a processing unit. Once processed, the data is encrypted and sent back to the source.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report claimed that the tech giant has been working on this technology for the past three years. Internally called Apple Chips in Data Centers (ACDC), the project was also previously reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The black box's secure processing is so adept that even if governments and courts formally request the data, Apple will be able to say it doesn't have access to the data, the report said, citing the sources.
However, the risks are still there. For example, if a hacker physically enters a server location, they may be able to access data. However, for most parties, it will reportedly be able to ease its user base when it comes to data privacy.
How Apple can use this technology
Apple's main implementation of this technology will deliver AI functions to the iPhone, Macbook and other devices via servers to minimize on-device processing. This will allow the company to offer more sophisticated and advanced AI features without worrying about whether the hardware will be able to handle them. However, in the long run, Apple may also use this technology to develop lightweight wearable devices with advanced processing that takes place on the server, according to the report. If this happens, one of the beneficiaries will be the Apple Vision Pro, which has been criticized for its bulky appearance and the requirement to carry a large external battery.
