FHE Smart Contracts

Definition ∞ FHE Smart Contracts are smart contracts that operate using Fully Homomorphic Encryption, enabling computations on encrypted data without decrypting it. This technology allows for private and secure execution of contract logic while maintaining data confidentiality. It represents a significant advancement in preserving privacy on public blockchains. FHE smart contracts facilitate sensitive operations without revealing underlying inputs or outputs.
Context ∞ FHE Smart Contracts represent a cutting-edge area of cryptographic research with substantial implications for privacy in decentralized applications. The current state involves significant computational overhead, limiting widespread practical deployment. A key debate addresses the optimization of FHE schemes to make them more efficient for on-chain execution. Future developments anticipate breakthroughs that will enable scalable and practical FHE smart contracts, unlocking new use cases for private computation.