iExec becomes a key member of Intel® AI ecosystem — iExec services in Intel® AI catalog
By: Lei Zhang
Tags: Ethereum, Press Release, Bitcoin, Blockchain, Tech

iExec has become a key member of Intel®'s ecosystem for AI and is featured on the AI Builder Program website. iExec solutions for ‘Renting out AI Models’ are listed in Intel’s AI solutions catalog.

“The Intel® AI Builders program is an enterprise ecosystem of industry-leading independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators (SIs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and enterprise end-users who have a shared mission to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence across Intel platforms.”

The Intel® AI portfolio is made up of hardware and software solutions that span various use cases. Members have access to co-marketing opportunities, technical resources, and consideration for match-making and Intel Capital investment to help drive the adoption of AI solutions in the enterprise. (Watch the video introduction)

Intel and iExec

Being selected for this program is the result of years of collaboration between Intel® and iExec. Over the past 3 and a half years, iExec has been developing projects with Intel® technologies, primarily focused on Intel® SGX hardware enclaves. The approach of iExec was to evaluate how Intel® SGX, and Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) in general, provide key security elements of a blockchain in an off-chain infrastructure. Rapidly iExec decided to become the leader in TEE and blockchain.

“For years, iExec has stressed the importance of the convergence of new technologies like AI, Trusted Compute and Blockchain. It is now clear that global players are beginning to share the same vision as iExec. Part of the work to realize this vision is evangelizing these new technologies and implementing concrete industrial use cases. The Intel® AI Builders program is the perfect platform to present iExec’s tested solutions. Being selected to be part of this program is a great achievement. The industrial scene continues to recognize iExec’s achievements and potential.” Jean-Charles Cabelguen, Head of Innovation @ iExec.

iExec has developed the first decentralized marketplace for cloud computing resources. Blockchain is used to organize a market network where users can monetize their computing power, applications, and datasets. By providing on-demand access to cloud computing resources, iExec supports compute-intensive applications in fields such as AI, big data, healthcare, rendering, or FinTech.

One of the main strengths of iExec lies in trusted off-chain computing. In collaboration with Intel, iExec has released the first-ever ‘trusted compute’ solution for blockchain (TEE using Intel SGX). iExec offers a Blockchain-based AI model marketplace which allows to trade (i.e. rent out) AI models in a secure way, the framework leverages Intel SGX to protect the privacy of the models during the rental procedure.

iExec services listed by Intel - Rent out AI Models leveraging Confidential Computing and Blockchain:

Intel lists iExec’s services in its solutions catalog. The specific service offered by iExec is: ‘renting out trained AI models’. iExec offers a Blockchain-based AI model marketplace which allows to trade (i.e. rent out) AI models in a secure way. The framework leverages Intel® SGX hardware enclaves to protect the privacy of the models during the rental procedure. Trained AI models are highly valuable as their training requires time, money and huge amounts of data, and are considered strategic assets that need to be protected. The trained models are encrypted by the model owners before being rented out, and the decryption only happens inside the hardware-based secure Intel SGX enclave®, and cannot be inspected by anyone including the model renters.

Other key collaborations: iExec TEE and Confidential Computing

Recent collaborations such as iExec and Intel sharing a booth and showing a demo at Mobile World Congress 2019, as well as signing a contract with NCTU illustrate how iExec is perceived on a worldwide scale. iExec is also head of the ‘Trusted Compute Working’ group within the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance.

iExec, having received further public recognition within the field, confirms its role as a leader in trusted computing with blockchain.