Intel's Heracles chip computes fully-encrypted data without decrypting it — chip is 1,074 to 5,547 times faster than a 24-core Intel Xeon in FHE math operations

Intel has developed a new processor called Heracles that can compute fully-encrypted data without decrypting it, providing enhanced security against various attacks. The chip operates on encrypted data using fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), processing and outputting data in an encrypted format. Heracles is purpose-built for accelerating FHE math operations and is significantly faster than traditional CPUs and GPUs, being 1,074 to 5,547 times faster than a 24-core Intel Xeon in FHE math operations. The chip features a unique architecture optimized for encrypted workloads and supports various FHE schemes, offering high performance and security capabilities. Heracles is implemented as a PCIe accelerator card and uses liquid cooling for thermal management.