By Dr Nick New, CEO of Optalysys
As geopolitical and technological changes shape our everyday lives, we face a future marked by unprecedented and unpredictable threats. Cybersecurity protocols once considered impenetrable are now routinely tested by increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, exposing the vulnerabilities in our traditional defences.
Another element in this complex landscape is quantum computing, a paradox of immense potential and significant threat. As we edge closer to ‘Q-day’ – the day when quantum computers will be powerful enough to break today’s encryption methods – it is imperative that businesses have processes in place to withstand potential devastating data breaches. At the same time, as technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) become everyday tools, the integrity and validity of the data powering these models are critical. Compromised data fed into AI models could produce flawed outputs, potentially harming businesses, users and society at large.
Amid these challenges, Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) offers a promising solution for data security and utilisation.
What is FHE?
FHE is a quantum-resilient cryptography method that allows encrypted data to be processed and shared without it being decrypted, or exposed. This enables multiple
parties to collaborate on sensitive data without having access to it directly, resolving the tensions between data protection and utilisation.
As more businesses move more of their operations to the Cloud, FHE provides a layer of security that allows computations to be performed on encrypted data even in untrusted environments. FHE has wide ranging applications across various sectors. For example, in healthcare, it can allow for the secure analysis of patient data for advanced research. In the finance sector, it can facilitate fraud detection while keeping sensitive information encrypted.
What are the barriers to adoption?
Despite its promise, FHE faces several challenges that have slowed widespread adoption. Due to its technical complexity, FHE requires specialist expertise to manage
and implement it effectively, making it inaccessible to organisations without dedicated cryptographic talent. Additionally, FHE requires a significant amount of computational power and advanced hardware infrastructure to function at scale. These resource-intensive requirements have left many organisations ill-equipped to integrate FHE into their operations.
Another limitation is the slow processing speed of FHE systems. Performing computations on encrypted data is inherently more complex than working with unencrypted data, resulting in significant delays. These barriers have made it difficult for companies to prioritise investment in FHE as the perceived cost and complexity often outweigh the potential benefits.
Overcoming barriers with silicon photonics
Silicon photonics offers a more scalable and efficient solution to overcome many of the hurdles associated with FHE adoption. By using light instead of electronics to transmit and process information, it can significantly increase data processing speed, reduce energy consumption, and support large-scale implementation of FHE. This can unlock new opportunities for data privacy and processing in various sectors, such as healthcare, financial services, or defence.
Under certain conditions, light can transfer vast amounts of information at high speeds. Using silicon photonics to power FHE speeds up the process and ensures data remains secure and resistant to quantum computing. Recent advancements could also signal a turning point for FHE’s accessibility. For instance, Apple’s inclusion of homomorphic encryption in iOS 18 demonstrates its viability for mainstream applications. Features like Live Caller ID Lookup, where encrypted requests are sent to servers for caller identification, place this technology directly in the hands of millions of iPhone users.
The path forward
FHE has the potential to address the critical challenges in data privacy, Cloud security and secure data sharing. As technological advancements simplify its implementation and reduce costs, FHE will become increasingly accessible, even to organisations without deep cryptographic knowledge.
In a world increasingly reliant on sensitive data to solve complex problems – from climate change to drug discovery – FHE is an enabler of secure innovation, ensuring sensitive data can be utilised without compromising privacy. The future of secure computing lies in empowering organisations to unlock the full value of their data while maintaining privacy.
FHE ensures that data remains a powerful and secure tool for innovation even in the face of new and evolving threats.
This article originally appeared in the February 25 magazine issue of IoT Insider.