NEAR AI Cloud has introduced Intel-signed attestation tokens for confidential inference requests, adding an independent verification layer through Intel Trust Authority. The change means users running AI workloads inside Intel TDX (secure CPU enclave technology) can rely on a standardized token rather than manually analyzing raw attestation quotes. NEAR AI Cloud launched on December 3, 2025 with cryptographic attestations from Intel and NVIDIA for AI inference inside Intel TDX CPU enclaves. Under the new flow, Intel Trust Authority, a free zero-trust attestation service, verifies TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) evidence and issues a JWT-style token, which can then be checked programmatically using standard libraries. For confidential inference, encrypted data remains locked until the token confirms the environment is genuine and uncompromised, after which the workload proceeds. The setup combines Intel TDX on the CPU side with NVIDIA Confidential Computing on the GPU side. The move fits a wider industry shift toward third-party attestation for confidential computing, with Phala implementing similar workflows in March 2026 and SCRT Labs launching SecretVM in May 2026 with comparable TEE verification capabilities. For the NEAR ecosystem, the feature is positioned as a way to simplify policy-based access control while pairing independent verification with on-chain verification, decentralized orchestration, and token-economic incentives for node operators.