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Questions Technical​

Can ThreeFold really save upto 10x in energy usage?​

ThreeFold's infrastructure is designed from the ground up to be significantly more energy-efficient than traditional cloud systems:

  • Optimized Architecture: Our system can achieve up to 10x energy efficiency improvements compared to conventional centralized models, depending on specific use cases and deployment scenarios (e.g. the Hero Digital Assistent).

  • Efficient Storage: Unlike traditional systems that replicate data 3 or more times (blockchain much more), we use forward-looking error correcting codes that achieve the same or better reliability using far fewer disks. This requires up to 5x fewer disks to store the same amount of data.

  • Green Hardware: We utilize "green" slow-spinning disks that use far less power and can have longer lifespans, especially when in liquid cooling.

  • Stateless Design: Our Zero-OS operates without installation on local storage media, implementing a true stateless architecture that enhances efficiency.

  • Reduced Complexity: By minimizing context switching and unnecessary layers, we significantly improve hardware utilization.

  • Shortest Path Routing: Our geo-aware network ensures data travels the shortest physical path, reducing latency and energy consumption.

  • Localized Infrastructure: By enabling local hosting and processing, we eliminate the inefficiency of relying on distant infrastructure, which currently affects over 70% of the world.

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Why is ThreeFold secure?​

ThreeFold implements security at every level of its architecture:

  • End-to-End Encryption: All communication between network participants is encrypted from source to destination, ensuring data privacy and integrity throughout transmission.

  • Network Isolation: By default, workloads operate within isolated private networks, with no automatic public internet connectivity, enhancing security through isolation.

  • Cryptographic Verification: All components undergo cryptographic verification before execution, preventing the execution of modified files.

  • Distributed Security Model: Rather than implementing perimeter security with firewalls, the system uses strong cryptographic authentication at the endpoint level.

  • Container Isolation: Enhanced security through dedicated virtual machines for container execution.

  • Stateless Architecture: The operating system runs without installation on local storage media, significantly reducing the attack surface.

  • Autonomous Operation: Reduction of attack vectors by eliminating human error potential.

  • Quantum-Safe Storage: Our storage system implements security measures resistant to quantum computing attacks, with optional post-quantum cryptographic algorithms.

  • Deterministic Deployment: Knowing exactly which code or app is deployed where ensures security and prevents tampering.

Why is blockchain not enough?​

While blockchain technology offers significant improvements in transparency and decentralization, it has several limitations that ThreeFold addresses:

  • Geographic Inefficiency: Public blockchains lack geo-awareness, meaning they don't account for the physical location of data and computation. This leads to inefficient routing, higher latency, and increased energy consumption.

  • Centralized Infrastructure: Despite blockchain's decentralized consensus, most blockchain nodes still run on centralized cloud infrastructure, creating hidden points of failure.

  • Scalability Issues: Public blockchains often face scalability challenges, with high transaction costs and slow processing times for high-throughput applications.

  • Energy Consumption: Many blockchain systems, especially those using Proof of Work, consume excessive energy, contradicting sustainability goals.

  • Complexity: Web3 is often more complex compared to Web2, creating barriers to adoption and increasing development costs.

  • Validator Centralization: The validators are still too centralized and often hosted in centralized datacenters, compromising true decentralization.

  • Upgrade Challenges: Smart contracts improve security, but issues remain with code upgrade paths, creating potential vulnerabilities.

What is the difference with blockchain?​

ThreeFold complements and extends blockchain capabilities rather than replacing them:

  • Infrastructure vs. Consensus: While blockchain focuses on distributed consensus and immutable records, ThreeFold provides the physical infrastructure layer that can host blockchain nodes and other applications in a truly decentralized manner.

  • Geo-Awareness: Unlike public blockchains that lack location sensitivity, ThreeFold's infrastructure is geo-aware, enabling data sovereignty, reduced latency, and compliance with local regulations.

  • Layer 2 Integration: ThreeFold's 3Ledger acts as a local, highly scalable Layer 2 blockchain solution that complements public blockchains, handling high-throughput transactions locally while maintaining compatibility with global networks.

  • Resource Efficiency: ThreeFold achieves significantly higher resource efficiency compared to blockchain systems, particularly in storage and energy consumption.

  • Practical Deployment: ThreeFold enables transparent and tamper-proof deployments while simplifying the architecture by localizing compute, storage, and networking, reducing development effort by up to 10x.

  • Comprehensive Solution: ThreeFold provides a complete stack from hardware to applications, while blockchain typically addresses only specific layers of the technology stack.

Can Web3 use ThreeFold, what is the benefit?​

Web3 projects can significantly benefit from building on ThreeFold's infrastructure:

  • Enhanced Performance: By utilizing ThreeFold's distributed infrastructure, Web3 applications can achieve lower latency, higher throughput, and better overall performance compared to running on centralized cloud providers.

  • True Decentralization: ThreeFold provides the missing piece for Web3 - truly decentralized physical infrastructure - eliminating reliance on centralized cloud providers that create hidden points of centralization.

  • Cost Efficiency: The resource-efficient design of ThreeFold translates to lower operational costs for Web3 projects, particularly for storage-intensive applications like NFTs and decentralized storage.

  • Blockchain Compatibility: ThreeFold is designed to be compatible with any blockchain, allowing Web3 developers to deploy their existing applications with minimal modifications.

  • Scalability: Web3 applications can leverage ThreeFold's horizontally scalable architecture to handle growing user bases without the performance degradation often seen on public blockchains.

  • Sovereignty and Compliance: The geo-aware nature of ThreeFold enables Web3 projects to comply with regional data sovereignty requirements while maintaining decentralization principles.

  • Sustainability: Web3 projects building on ThreeFold can significantly reduce their environmental footprint, aligning with growing demands for sustainable blockchain solutions.

  • Interoperability: ThreeFold bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3, enabling hybrid applications that leverage the strengths of both paradigms.