Peter Membrey
Peter Membrey is Chief Research Officer at ExpressVPN, where he leads the exploration of emerging technologies that will define the future of privacy infrastructure. As the creator of Lightway—ExpressVPN's open-source VPN protocol protecting millions of users worldwide—and a core architect of TrustedServer, the industry's first RAM-only server platform, Peter has consistently pushed the boundaries of what's possible in security technology. An IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Contributor and Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society, Peter holds a doctorate in engineering and has co-authored over a dozen technical books. His current research focuses on the intersection of open hardware, zero-trust architectures, and privacy-preserving technologies, with particular interest in how RISC-V can revolutionize the security landscape just as Linux transformed software. At ExpressVPN, Peter is spearheading investigations into custom hardware solutions that could redefine privacy technology—from purpose-built VPN appliances to local AI
processing that keeps data under user control. He believes open hardware represents the next frontier in building truly verifiable, trustworthy infrastructure.
Session
At ExpressVPN, we're constantly exploring new ways to enhance privacy and security. One area that's captured our attention is open source hardware - particularly RISC-V - which we see as a natural evolution in building more transparent infrastructure. Just as Linux transformed software, we think RISC-V could bring similar innovation to hardware. We've already open-sourced our Lightway protocol, and we're exploring how to extend this transparency philosophy deeper into our stack - including potentially our TrustedServer platform. Now we're investigating how open hardware fits into our broader zero trust strategy. The idea is simple: when you can inspect and verify every layer of the stack, from silicon to software, you create new possibilities for security and innovation. What's particularly interesting about RISC-V is the flexibility it offers. We're exploring how custom hardware could better serve privacy needs - whether that's purpose-built VPN appliances, local devices for privacy-preserving AI, or edge computing solutions that keep data under user control. It's about having options beyond off-the-shelf hardware that wasn't designed with privacy in mind.
In this talk, I'll share: · How open hardware complements our existing transparency initiatives · What we're learning from our early RISC-V investigations · Potential use cases we're excited about (from infrastructure to edge devices) · Why we think local AI processing and custom hardware matter for privacy · The practical challenges and opportunities we're discovering We're approaching this thoughtfully - open hardware is one piece of how we're building the future of privacy technology. If you're curious about where RISC-V fits in the evolving privacy landscape, or how organizations can start exploring these possibilities, let's discuss what we're learning on this journey.