Feb 10, 2022 - Filecoin is a decentralized protocol that anyone can download to rent out spare storage space on their computer. An alternative to traditional cloud storage, the Filecoin blockchain-based storage solution leverages a peer-to-peer architecture, creating massively scalable storage capacity without building massive new infrastructure. Instead of entrusting one company to store and protect valuable digital assets and documents in a single jurisdiction, customers can split up and store their assets on different computers around the world. The low barriers to entry and the economic rewards for miners make for ample supply of storage, keeping fees q...

Jul 31, 2020 - This research takes a fresh look at the Bitcoin network and its native currency, bitcoin. Its authors argue that, while the Bitcoin protocols have proven successful for financial applications, they have hindered scalability, privacy, and programmability. Because of these implementation challenges, some enterprise leaders have looked to Ethereum and other blockchain solutions. But other development teams have found innovative ways to evolve the Bitcoin network and its enterprise capabilities. By building directly on top of existing Bitcoin infrastructure, businesses can profit from its security and network effects without incurring the costs a...

Nov 22, 2017 - This project explores the intersection of Internet of Things and blockchain as a means of securing transactions among objects, realizing efficiencies, establishing appropriate boundaries between public and private, and developing strategies for business leaders across industry. It maps out the typical architecture of an IoT deployment in terms of connectivity, identity, sensing, and actuation. The author walks through the challenges of centralized and decentralized IoT designs, from scalability, latency, and transaction costs to privacy, durability, and interoperability of systems.

Sep 28, 2017 - A new phenomenon—initial coin offerings—enabled through blockchain technology is upending basic tenets of twentieth-century capitalism. This project frames the opportunity in terms of addressing the tragedy of the commons. He studies the development and ramification of the emerging token economy and walks through the landscape of token types. He previews the economic effects of digital scarcity, tokens as powerful incentives, and the legal and policy ramifications for securities law and property rights.

Jun 27, 2018 - Decentralization, hashing functions, public key cryptography, and smart contracts are advantageous design features of blockchain systems. These require the coordination of multiple and diverse actors with differing incentives—cryptoeconomics—to solve any problems that arise. This research examines the impact of governance on these systems. Specifically, it explores governance needs at three levels of the blockchain stack: the Internet layer, the blockchain layer, and the application layer, including the deployment of decentralized applications (Dapps). De Filippi and McMullen explain the difference between governance by the infrastructure...

Feb 28, 2018 - This project looks at the three layers of the blockchain stack—protocol, consensus, and economic—from logical and technical points of view; and it distinguishes between two types of standardization, semantic and technological. It should help executives and investors to understand the implementation challenges—such as scalability, energy consumption, and governance of each layer—and the problems that the blockchain community is attempting to solve with each innovation.