Chips to Compute With Encrypted Data Are Coming

Trust no one. It’s not just a throwaway line from TV thrillers. It’s becoming the goal of computer
security, and a technology that can make it a reality has arrived. Called fully homomorphic encryption, or FHE, it allows software to compute on encrypted data without ever decrypting it.

The possibilities are enormous: huge leaps in medical research and patient care without exposing patient data, more effective tools against money laundering without regulators actually seeing anyone’s bank-account information, self-driving cars that can learn from each other without snitching on…