Hello, 

The latest episode of the AI Confidential Podcast is here, and it’s a must-listen for anyone navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of AI. This week, I sat down with Teresa Tung, Senior Managing Director and Global Data Capability Lead at Accenture, to discuss a critical truth about AI: trusted AI starts with trusted data.

Accenture has been at the forefront of AI adoption, leading over 1,800 generative AI implementations across industries. Teresa shared why data quality and sensitivity are the biggest hurdles—and opportunities—for scaling AI. As she put it, companies that treat their data as a product, managing it with the same care and strategy as any physical product, are the ones poised to lead their industries.

We also explored:

• How data sovereignty and programmatic protections are reshaping the way organizations unlock sensitive data for AI.

• Real-world use cases, from automotive manufacturers to telcos, where confidential computing enables breakthroughs that were previously out of reach.

• Why the rapid rise of generative AI makes traditional data protection methods obsolete—and how confidential computing provides a path forward.

The key takeaway? The future of AI belongs to those who control their data. Organizations that invest in trusted, high-quality data today will not only future-proof their businesses but also gain a competitive edge in the AI-driven economy.

Next week, our season continues with another thought-provoking conversation featuring Daniel Rohrer, VP of Software Security at NVIDIA, as well as our very own Raluca Ada Popa. I hope you’ll tune in as we explore how to scale trust in AI across complex, real-world environments.

Until then, dive into this week’s episode and join the conversation shaping the future of AI.

Best regards,
Aaron Fulkerson
CEO, Opaque Systems

​​Don’t miss this exclusive look at the future of AI. Listen or watch the full episode on all major streaming platforms and be sure to subscribe to stay in the know when future episodes drop!

Confidential AI Unlocks Sensitive Data on Microsoft Azure with NVIDIA AI and Accelerated Computing

Editor’s note: Last week, we announced a transformative partnership with Microsoft Azure and NVIDIA at Microsoft Ignite. During the event, Opaque had the chance to demo our Confidential AI Platform at NVIDIA’s Partner Pavilion and connect with industry leaders about the future of AI. Below is an excerpt from our blog detailing the transformative new partnership. 

As organizations across industries push the boundaries of AI, the need for secure, high-performance infrastructure has never been more critical. Opaque Systems, in collaboration with Microsoft and NVIDIA, is enabling a new era of Confidential AI on Microsoft Azure Confidential VMs powered by NVIDIA Tensor Core GPUs. 

This collaboration offers not only the computational power required for advanced AI and machine learning applications but also the robust data protections needed. Our collaboration is strengthened even further through our participation in the NVIDIA Inception program, which helps companies accelerate development and business growth with access to technical resources, discounts and marketing opportunities designed for startups. 

With applications ranging from financial services to high tech and others, this infrastructure sets a new standard for scalable, privacy- and sovereignty-preserving AI. Our work with Azure and NVIDIA H100 GPUs equips businesses with the tools to innovate confidently, accelerating AI into production by supporting diverse use cases like confidential Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and secure multi-party data sharing.

This infrastructure provides a foundation where companies can exercise full data ownership, maintaining oversight of proprietary information while pushing the boundaries of AI-driven insights. As the importance of data sovereignty becomes more apparent across industries, this partnership promotes a streamlined approach for enterprises to maximize data utility without compromise. 

For more on the partnership, read the full blog post here. 

In the Lab

The Latest Happenings at Opaque Systems

Opaque Showcases Collaboration with Microsoft and NVIDIA at Microsoft Ignite 2024
At Microsoft Ignite 2024 in Chicago, Opaque Director of Solutions Engineering Jamie Aliperti, showcased how Opaque’s platform unlocks the full potential of Confidential AI. During the event, attendees experienced live demos on Opaque’s collaboration to advance AI workloads on Azure Confidential VMs, powered by NVIDIA Tensor Core GPUs. Additionally, Opaque participated in the sold-out Microsoft for Startups VIP Reception and Startup Showcase, sharing insights on harnessing responsible AI without sacrificing data integrity. 

Opaque at Ray Summit 2024: Raluca Ada Popa Speaks on Proprietary Data and GenAI
Opaque Co-founder and President Raluca Ada Popa spoke at Ray Summit 2024, discussing a significant obstacle in enterprise AI adoption: the security of proprietary and private data when used with generative AI. With major companies like Samsung and Google restricting ChatGPT use due to data security concerns, Popa presents a novel solution based on confidential computing. Check out Popa’s full presentation, and uncover how Opaque’s technology unlocks a new era of safe, AI-driven enterprise productivity.

LinkedIn: Jigyasa Grover on Ensuring Privacy and Sovereignty with Opaque Systems
AI expert, Jigyasa Grover shared a LinkedIn post on Opaque’s groundbreaking approach to ensuring privacy and sovereignty, made possible by confidential computing. “Let’s be real - AI is here to stay! As AI becomes integrated into all aspects of our lives, even a slight slack in these intelligent systems can create havoc. And in this pursuit of fast-paced innovation, how do we ensure privacy & sovereignty don't become collateral damage?”

Opaque's AI Confidential Webinar on Dec 5: Empowering a New Era of Data Privacy and Responsible AI
Responsible AI is more than just a best practice—it’s a critical foundation for AI applications. From safeguarding data privacy and sovereignty to reducing bias and enhancing transparency, responsible AI frameworks empower businesses to drive innovation while building trust. Stay tuned for a webinar on December 5th at 11 a.m. PT, hosted by Rishabh Poddar, Co-Founder & CTO of Opaque, and Giorgio Natili, VP and Head of Engineering. Want to learn how to foster innovation, without compromising sensitive data privacy? Register today!

Opaque Among Featured Companies at the Intel Capital 2024 CISO Summit
Opaque CEO Aaron Fulkerson spoke at the Intel Capital 2024 CISO Summit in San Francisco. As cybersecurity evolves from risk mitigation to a core strategic priority in the age of AI, the discussions at the summit highlighted the growing importance of protecting proprietary data. Confidential computing emerged as a critical solution, with conversations focusing on attestation across software, data pipelines, models, and hardware.

Community Corner

Insights from AI Confidential Readers

We’re launching a new section of AI Confidential—a space for you to share the posts, articles, podcasts, or videos that have sparked your curiosity or shifted your perspective on AI and innovation. Tell us what you’re reading, share a conversation you’re following, or send us your favorite videos and podcasts. 

Click below to submit your recommendation, and we’ll feature select contributions in future issues of the newsletter.

Code for Thought

Worthwhile Reads

🍴 AI’s fork in the road: big data versus high-quality data. AI's success hinges on the quality, not the quantity, of data. With over 80% of AI projects failing due to poor data quality and reasoning limitations, the industry demands focused, high-quality, privacy-compliant datasets. Opaque is at the forefront of this evolution: Confidential AI solutions empower businesses to achieve high-quality, sovereign data at scale, unlocking the value of large datasets without compromising privacy or control.

🏃‍♀️ GenAI has made significant strides since the launch of ChatGPT. Evolving into multimodal systems capable of reasoning, handling complex tasks, and integrating into daily workflows, GenAI platforms  promise to transform industries. However, inaccurate outputs, biases, and ethical concerns have lessened the anticipated impact thus far, challenging leading developers to push for breakthroughs and inprovements in a number of ways. . Confidential AI solutions address these challenges by ensuring organizations can leverage GenAI on a large scale, backing up innovation with privacy and trust.

↩️ Navigating AI’s turning point. The rapid expansion of AI, spurred by technologies like ChatGPT, has ignited an unprecedented wave of investment and innovation, with spending on AI data centers projected to surpass $1.4 trillion by 2027. However, as businesses grapple with energy demands, data constraints, and adoption challenges, the promise of AI in 2025 hinges on achieving meaningful breakthroughs. Confidential AI is poised to be a game-changer,  addressing critical concerns like data privacy, quality, and accessibility as the industry navigates its crunch year.