Confidential Compute Architecture
summary
AWS describes a purpose-built Nitro architecture that separates host functions into dedicated Nitro cards, a Nitro security chip and a minimal Nitro hypervisor, claiming no operator access to customer memory and that all modern EC2 instances are Nitro-based since 2018. Confidential compute features include Nitro Enclaves — isolated VMs that integrate with KMS for key handling — used for multi‑party computation and tokenization (e.g., Unified ID 2.0). An independent NCC Group review finds no gaps; no code changes are required to benefit from Nitro protections.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction and speakers
- 1:26What is confidential compute
- 3:55AWS confidential compute unique aspects
- 5:00Nitro system explained
- 9:31Nitro system transparency and audits
- 12:20No code changes needed for Nitro
- 13:23Protecting data from yourself
- 15:08Nitro enclaves developer experience
- 17:14Real-world Nitro enclaves examples
- 20:26How to adopt Nitro enclaves
- 21:49Future of confidential computing
- 23:14Customer example teaser
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