Large

As one of the most promising emerging concepts in Information Technology, outsourced computation (also known as cloud computing) is transforming our perception of how IT is consumed and managed, yielding improved cost efficiencies and delivering flexible, on-demand scalability. Cloud computing reduces IT resources and services to commodities acquired and paid-for on-demand through a fast-growing set of infrastructure, platform, and service providers.

Computer networks are now, arguably, the United States' most critical infrastructure. They control all communication amongst our citizenry, our businesses, our government, and our military. Worryingly, however, today's networks are remarkably unreliable and insecure. A significant source of vulnerability is the fact that the underlying network equipment (e.g., routers and switches) run complicated programs written in obtuse, low-level programming languages, which makes managing networks a difficult and error-prone task.

Many compelling applications involve computations that require sensitive data from two or more individuals. For example, as the cost of personal genome sequencing rapidly plummets many genetics applications will soon be within reach of individuals such as comparing one?s genome with the genomes of different groups of participants in a study to determine which treatment is likely to be most effective. Such comparisons could have tremendous value, but are currently infeasible because of the privacy concerns both for the individual and study participants.

Computer networks are now, arguably, the United States' most critical infrastructure. They control all communication amongst our citizenry, our businesses, our government, and our military. Worryingly, however, today's networks are remarkably unreliable and insecure. A significant source of vulnerability is the fact that the underlying network equipment (e.g., routers and switches) run complicated programs written in obtuse, low-level programming languages, which makes managing networks a difficult and error-prone task.

This project addresses how semiconductor designers can verify the correctness of ICs that they source from possibly untrusted fabricators. Existing solutions to this problem are either based on legal and contractual obligations, or use post-fabrication IC testing, both of which are unsatisfactory or unsound. As a sound alternative, this project designs and fabricates verifiable hardware: ICs that provide proofs of their correctness for every input-output computation they perform in the field.