Google, among the industry titans, stands out as a proactive player in an era where the potential of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is being recognized. The company is embarking on multiple blockchain initiatives to expand its presence in emerging technology and diversify its revenue streams beyond advertising.
A Pioneering Collaboration
Google’s latest move in this direction involves a strategic alliance with Zilliqa, a permissionless public blockchain platform renowned for its high transaction throughput and sharding capabilities. This partnership seeks to harness the power of Google Cloud infrastructure to enhance critical aspects of the Zilliqa network.
According to Jamie McKane, Head of Copy at Zilliqa, this collaboration is expected to accelerate Zilliqa’s growth while facilitating sustainable blockchain development. Google Cloud will take on the role of a staked seed node (SSN) operator on the Zilliqa network.
Moreover, Google Cloud will serve as Zilliqa’s primary cloud services provider, integrating tools such as Kubernetes, BigQuery, and Security Command Center. These integrations aim to improve the efficiency, monitoring capabilities, and data transparency of Zilliqa’s blockchain architecture.
A Focus on Innovation
James Tromans, Head of Web3 at Google Cloud, shared that the companies have plans to jointly develop solutions that enhance the scalability and resilience of the Zilliqa base layer protocol. This includes research into refining sharding capabilities and improving the availability of blockchain datasets for better accessibility and analysis.
However, this partnership raised questions within the Zilliqa community regarding the nature of the collaboration. Some wondered whether Google had paid for its cloud services or if this partnership was genuinely aimed at technical improvements.
Zilliqa clarified that this alliance was indeed legitimate, with the sincere intention of bringing technical enhancements to the blockchain and making Google Cloud an integral part of the network infrastructure.
Amidst these significant developments, the Zilliqa community has proposed changes to the role of SSNs. If approved, these changes would result in even deeper integration of Google Cloud within the Zilliqa ecosystem. This suggests a strong commitment from both parties to foster innovation and strengthen the blockchain’s capabilities.
Expanding the Network
With Google Cloud becoming the 29th SSN on Zilliqa, it joins the ranks of OKCoin and Huobi, among other notable entities. Furthermore, plans are underway to implement a hybrid consensus mechanism, subject to community approval. In this mechanism, SSNs would play a vital role in validating transactions.
Unlike seed nodes, SSNs provide public access to the Zilliqa network, making it easier for developers and users to interact with the blockchain without running their seed nodes. In return, SSNs earn a share of the block rewards, even if they are not actively engaged in transaction validation.
Final Thought
Google’s strategic partnership with Zilliqa marks an exciting chapter in the evolution of blockchain technology. With the tech giant’s expertise and resources, combined with Zilliqa’s innovative platform, we can expect to see further advancements in blockchain scalability and accessibility, ultimately benefiting the entire crypto and blockchain community. This alliance demonstrates the continued growth and maturation of the blockchain industry, as well as the increasing interest from major players like Google.
Ken Emmanuel is a Blockchain Content writer, a Web3 Enthusiast and a Social Media Management Strategist, he likes writing educative contents to help people gain more knowledge and get inspired. The growth of any organization he work with is always his priority. He is a Geographer by profession and loves reading.
