SoK: Limitations of Confidential Computing via TEEs for High-Performance Compute Systems

Trusted execution environments (TEEs) are primary enablers of confidential computing. This paper presents a systematization of the existing trusted execution environments in industry and academia. We highlight the common mechanisms these TEEs employ to provide different security guarantees and offer a detailed comparative analysis of different TEE proposals. TEEs are anticipated to be a promising solution for the security challenges in the high-performance computing (HPC) domain. However, this paper shows why the existing TEEs are unsuitable for high-performance computing systems. Finally, we present our call for action to work to evolve the TEE technologies with the evolving high-performance computing landscape.