Intel Scalable SGX is an enclave technology that lets applications run sensitive code and data inside protected regions of memory called enclaves. The CPU isolates enclave contents from the operating system, hypervisor, and most other software, reducing exposure to administrators, malware, and cloud-hosted workloads.
It matters because it supports confidential computing: even if the host is compromised, secrets can remain harder to read or tamper with in memory. In real deployments, SGX is used for key handling, secure analytics, and other workloads that need strong code and data isolation. Defenders still need to remember that SGX is not a complete security boundary; attacks may target side channels, enclave interfaces, or the hardware and platform assumptions around the enclave. That is why SGX is often paired with attestation, tight access controls, and careful physical security.