
AO Mainnet Launches, Ushering in a New Era of Decentralized Computing and Permissionless Ecosystem Growth
AO, a revolutionary platform for decentralized computing, launches its mainnet today following a highly successful testnet phase, with key milestones including:
Over $700 million pre-bridged to the AO testnet prior to launch.
More than 1.5 billion messages processed on the AO testnet.
Over 100 projects already integrated on the AO protocol, spanning decentralized exchanges, Web3 games, and more.
A fair launch distribution model, awarding 100% of AO tokens to users who deposited assets to the testnet and Arweave token holders.
'AO is not just a smart contract platform; it's a decentralized supercomputer,' said Sam Williams, founder of AO and Arweave. 'Combined with Arweave, AO's architecture has the potential to radically change how we interact and transact on the web.'
AO's Breakthrough Capabilities:
Infinite Parallel Processing: AO enables the simultaneous execution of unlimited parallel processes. Each smart contract operates as its own parallel 'blockchain,' providing the throughput necessary to support internet-scale applications.
Enhanced Security with TEEs: AO leverages Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) for hardware-level security and private computation, enabling secure dApps without the overhead of Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) or Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs).
Unprecedented Smart Contract Data Capacity: AO smart contracts can be as large as standard computer programs, even supporting the on-chain execution of full Large Language Models (LLMs)—a Web3 first—with native access to all data stored on Arweave, which serves as AO's permanent hard drive.
Self-Waking Contracts: AO smart contracts can be programmed to execute autonomously, facilitating the development of self-operating applications and supporting AO's growing ecosystem of autonomous AI agents.
Modular Architecture: AO's ultra-flexible design empowers developers to customize and extend the computer to meet their specific project requirements.
Fusing Blockchain and the Web: AO-Core
AO-Core, the core protocol of AO, embeds verifiable, cryptographically linked computation directly into HTTP. This means every HTTP request—from loading a webpage to executing complex computations—becomes a potential AO transaction. AO-Core is built on the web's native standards, HTTP3 and the HTTP signed messages, and transforms them into a decentralized computational platform, addressing the scalability and trust limitations of centralized systems. AO-Core embeds verifiable proofs of the correctness of online results, offering attestations of trustworthiness similar to the familiar padlock icon for secure connections.
Harnessing the Web's Immense Network Effects
AO uniquely leverages the vast network effects of the existing web infrastructure. By building upon established standards like HTTP Signed Messages, AO taps into a network far larger than any individual blockchain. Existing web infrastructure, like Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), can now function as AO-Core state resolvers, dramatically increasing efficiency and scalability.
Enhanced Security with TEEs: Enabling Private Computation
AO offers a flexible security model, including execution inside TEEs, providing hardware-level security for private computations. This approach achieves high verifiability without the performance overhead of traditional methods like FHE and ZKPs. This trust-minimized verifiable infrastructure allows developers to run any application in a secure and transparent manner. TEEs enable secure decentralized exchanges, private voting systems, and confidential smart contracts.
Fair Launch Tokenomics: A Foundation for Equitable Growth
AO's tokenomics are designed for fairness and long-term sustainability. A 100% fair launch, with a total supply of 21 million tokens and a continuous release mechanism, ensures equal access on equal terms. Arweave holders are eligible for AO tokens, recognizing Arweave's crucial role in providing permanent storage.
Introducing the Permaweb Index (pi): Simplifying Access and Fueling Ecosystem Growth
The Permaweb Index (pi) is designed to simplify user interaction with the permaweb by providing a single, accessible entry point to this decentralized ecosystem. Pi offers a diversified collection of assets, including:
AR (Arweave): Representing the foundational layer of permanent storage.
AO: Providing exposure to the core computational layer.
Fair-Launch Ecosystem Projects: Including promising projects built on the permaweb, fostering innovation and growth.
Key Features of the Permaweb Index:
Automated Access to all Permaweb Tokens: Pi offers a single point of access to a range of key assets within the permaweb, reducing the complexity of managing multiple tokens.
Automated Rebalancing: An autonomous on-chain agent dynamically manages the Index allocations to reflect the community's sentiment regarding token values.
Fair Launch Participation: The Index participates in fair launches of new permaweb projects, further diversifying its holdings and supporting ecosystem growth while giving holders access to the newest and most exciting projects automatically.
Passive Indexing and Active Delegation: Users can choose to passively hold pi for diversified exposure or actively delegate their future yield.
'The Permaweb Index (pi) represents a critical step towards building a unified economic base of the permaweb,' said Williams. 'By bridging the computational and storage layers, pi creates a cohesive ecosystem that fosters innovation and accelerates the growth of decentralized applications.'
About Forward Research
Forward Research is a venture protocol development company dedicated to growing the permaweb ecosystem. We are building towards a vision of a truly decentralized web, where user rights are immutably protected and software and data is permanent.
Founded and led by Sam Williams, the founder of the Arweave and AO protocols, Forward Research looks to incubate projects that expand permaweb adoption and use cases. We believe that the permaweb's unique approach to data storage and its potential for creating truly decentralized applications will revolutionize the way we interact with the internet.
SOURCE: Arweave
PUB: 02/08/2025 05:00 PM/DISC: 02/08/2025 05:00 PM

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The End of Bitcoin Maximalism
The launch of Bitcoin in 2009 created a resilient and decentralized monetary asset. Early adherents rallied around it as a singular innovation — immutable, fixed-supply, and leaderless. Over time, this coalesced into a belief system: Bitcoin maximalism. The argument was simple. Bitcoin came first. It had the most Proof-of-Work security. The most conservative monetary policy. All other assets were distractions or regressions. But that framing increasingly diverges from how Bitcoin is now being applied in practice. Today, the crypto ecosystem is no longer a collection of isolated silos or, at least, it needn't be. Interoperability is the backbone of Web3. The same technologies that maximalists once dismissed, like wrapped bitcoin and cross-chain bridges, are now exposing the limitations of that worldview. While these technologies are far from perfect, they prove that users want more than ideological purity; they want utility and functionality. This evolution is particularly significant for Bitcoin, which has historically been limited by its transaction speeds and a lack of smart contract functionality. The watershed moment came with the emergence and explosive growth of DeFi, offering yield farming, lending, and trading opportunities that Bitcoin — at least in its native form — couldn't directly participate in (most early DeFi activity was concentrated on Ethereum). To bridge this gap, solutions like wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) were conceived and launched, tokenizing BTC for use on Ethereum and other chains. While this was a step forward, wrapped tokens came with associated risks, such as centralized custodians, potential security vulnerabilities and an overall departure from Bitcoin's trustless ethos. New systems, including trust-minimized tunneling and Bitcoin-anchored consensus proofs, are enabling BTC to be integrated into smart contract environments without compromising its core properties. These architectures avoid the need for wrapping. Instead, they treat Bitcoin as a foundational, external settlement layer that can interact directly with the rest of the blockchain ecosystem — through tunneling and specialized Bitcoin-aware virtual machines. The result is simple: Bitcoin is no longer isolated. And it no longer needs to be. Bitcoin maximalism asserts that BTC alone is sufficient. But the infrastructure now being deployed across the ecosystem proves otherwise. BTC is being used in DeFi. BTC is supporting NFT standards. BTC is moving across chains. And it is doing so without compromising its consensus layer or monetary properties. The future of crypto belongs to collaboration, not isolation. Blockchain infrastructure will be shaped by interoperability and modular design. Bitcoin need not compete for dominance in such an ecosystem; rather, it can complement and secure a broader multi-chain ecosystem. As developers build bridges between chains rather than walls, they prove that Bitcoin can coexist with other networks, enhancing its utility instead of competing for dominance. In this environment, the maximalist mentality of 'one coin to rule them all' already feels out of touch. Regular crypto users want flexibility and different options to stake, lend, or trade their assets across multiple platforms, which interoperability enables — unlike Bitcoin maximalism that restricts all out-of-the-box use cases. As multi-chain ecosystems mature, users are increasingly drawn to infrastructure that supports cross-chain utility, including secure integrations of BTC. Finally, Bitcoin maximalism has always been rooted mostly in ideology — but the crypto industry is driven by innovation, and new technologies are proving that BTC can evolve without losing its importance or advantages. This way, maximalists risk being left behind if they dismiss these advancements as mere 'distractions.' Bitcoin continues to serve as the most secure and censorship-resistant settlement network in the world. That is not changing. What is changing is the environment around it. Decentralized systems are growing more interoperable. The expectation that networks will remain isolated is no longer viable. BTC is becoming a core layer in a multi-chain stack, and more integrated into systems it once stood apart from. Where once Bitcoin maximalism offered clarity during crypto's early phases of growth, the ecosystem has evolved. Today, Bitcoin can serve as a cornerstone in a broader system emphasizing security, interconnectivity, and composability. As this trend continues to gain momentum, Bitcoin maximalism may fade because the idea that one coin must dominate all others ignores the power of collaboration and innovation. Interoperability isn't a threat to Bitcoin — it's a catalyst for growth. The future of crypto isn't about choosing a single winner but rather about building a decentralized world where every chain, including Bitcoin, plays a vital role. The decentralized future will rely on systems that are secure, interoperable, and modular. Bitcoin's role as a resilient base layer ensures that it will persist as an integral component of that future, not as the only chain, but a fundamental cornerstone among others.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
The End of Bitcoin Maximalism
The launch of Bitcoin in 2009 created a resilient and decentralized monetary asset. Early adherents rallied around it as a singular innovation — immutable, fixed-supply, and leaderless. Over time, this coalesced into a belief system: Bitcoin maximalism. The argument was simple. Bitcoin came first. It had the most Proof-of-Work security. The most conservative monetary policy. All other assets were distractions or regressions. But that framing increasingly diverges from how Bitcoin is now being applied in practice. Today, the crypto ecosystem is no longer a collection of isolated silos or, at least, it needn't be. Interoperability is the backbone of Web3. The same technologies that maximalists once dismissed, like wrapped bitcoin and cross-chain bridges, are now exposing the limitations of that worldview. While these technologies are far from perfect, they prove that users want more than ideological purity; they want utility and functionality. This evolution is particularly significant for Bitcoin, which has historically been limited by its transaction speeds and a lack of smart contract functionality. The watershed moment came with the emergence and explosive growth of DeFi, offering yield farming, lending, and trading opportunities that Bitcoin — at least in its native form — couldn't directly participate in (most early DeFi activity was concentrated on Ethereum). To bridge this gap, solutions like wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) were conceived and launched, tokenizing BTC for use on Ethereum and other chains. While this was a step forward, wrapped tokens came with associated risks, such as centralized custodians, potential security vulnerabilities and an overall departure from Bitcoin's trustless ethos. New systems, including trust-minimized tunneling and Bitcoin-anchored consensus proofs, are enabling BTC to be integrated into smart contract environments without compromising its core properties. These architectures avoid the need for wrapping. Instead, they treat Bitcoin as a foundational, external settlement layer that can interact directly with the rest of the blockchain ecosystem — through tunneling and specialized Bitcoin-aware virtual machines. The result is simple: Bitcoin is no longer isolated. And it no longer needs to be. Bitcoin maximalism asserts that BTC alone is sufficient. But the infrastructure now being deployed across the ecosystem proves otherwise. BTC is being used in DeFi. BTC is supporting NFT standards. BTC is moving across chains. And it is doing so without compromising its consensus layer or monetary properties. The future of crypto belongs to collaboration, not isolation. Blockchain infrastructure will be shaped by interoperability and modular design. Bitcoin need not compete for dominance in such an ecosystem; rather, it can complement and secure a broader multi-chain ecosystem. As developers build bridges between chains rather than walls, they prove that Bitcoin can coexist with other networks, enhancing its utility instead of competing for dominance. In this environment, the maximalist mentality of 'one coin to rule them all' already feels out of touch. Regular crypto users want flexibility and different options to stake, lend, or trade their assets across multiple platforms, which interoperability enables — unlike Bitcoin maximalism that restricts all out-of-the-box use cases. As multi-chain ecosystems mature, users are increasingly drawn to infrastructure that supports cross-chain utility, including secure integrations of BTC. Finally, Bitcoin maximalism has always been rooted mostly in ideology — but the crypto industry is driven by innovation, and new technologies are proving that BTC can evolve without losing its importance or advantages. This way, maximalists risk being left behind if they dismiss these advancements as mere 'distractions.' Bitcoin continues to serve as the most secure and censorship-resistant settlement network in the world. That is not changing. What is changing is the environment around it. Decentralized systems are growing more interoperable. The expectation that networks will remain isolated is no longer viable. BTC is becoming a core layer in a multi-chain stack, and more integrated into systems it once stood apart from. Where once Bitcoin maximalism offered clarity during crypto's early phases of growth, the ecosystem has evolved. Today, Bitcoin can serve as a cornerstone in a broader system emphasizing security, interconnectivity, and composability. As this trend continues to gain momentum, Bitcoin maximalism may fade because the idea that one coin must dominate all others ignores the power of collaboration and innovation. Interoperability isn't a threat to Bitcoin — it's a catalyst for growth. The future of crypto isn't about choosing a single winner but rather about building a decentralized world where every chain, including Bitcoin, plays a vital role. The decentralized future will rely on systems that are secure, interoperable, and modular. Bitcoin's role as a resilient base layer ensures that it will persist as an integral component of that future, not as the only chain, but a fundamental cornerstone among others. Sign in to access your portfolio


Forbes
6 hours ago
- Forbes
Breaking The Glass Ceiling Between Crypto And Stock Markets
(Photo by) For years, crypto protocols have operated in a parallel financial universe, building revolutionary technology while traditional investors watched from the sidelines. Web3 protocols found themselves in a Catch-22. Too small to afford the millions in legal fees required for public offerings. Too decentralized to fit neatly into existing securities frameworks. Too volatile for risk-averse institutional investors. The numbers tell the story. Venture capital deployed roughly $30 billion into crypto in 2022's peak year. Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets alone hold over $50 trillion in value. That's not a funding gap — it's a funding canyon. Protocols like Uniswap flirted with IPO plans but retreated when faced with the regulatory labyrinth. Others resigned themselves to the venture capital carousel, raising rounds from the same small pool of crypto-native funds. Only a few categories broke through. Centralized exchanges like Coinbase offered a business model regulators could understand — fees, users, revenue. Mining companies like Riot Blockchain provided exposure to Bitcoin mining profit. ETFs offered capital gains from Bitcoin or ETH price appreciation. And just this week, stablecoin issuer Circle managed to launch an IPO based on its interest-generating business model, which earns fees from the traditional banking system rather than from its Web3 applications. But actual protocols? The infrastructure powering DeFi, NFTs, and Web3 gaming? They remained locked out of public markets, leaving trillions in traditional capital untapped. That changed when Netcapital, a NASDAQ-listed fintech company, announced its acquisition of Mixie, an AI-powered Web3 game creation platform. This deal represents more than corporate strategy — it's the first crack in the dam separating $100 trillion in traditional capital markets from Web3 innovation. Netcapital just wrote the playbook. Netcapital hardly seems like the obvious candidate to break this deadlock. The company built its reputation democratizing access to private investments with its tagline, "Become an investor, no private jet required." Its platform helps smaller companies raise capital through exempted offerings, a far cry from the billion-dollar IPOs that dominate headlines. Yet this positioning makes Netcapital perfect for the job. The company understands regulatory complexity, having navigated exemption frameworks that let everyday investors participate in startup funding. More importantly, its leadership understands disruption. John Fanning co-founded Napster, which revolutionized music distribution despite industry resistance. Now he's targeting an even bigger disruption, the convergence of traditional and decentralized finance. Mixie brings the Web3 credibility. The AI-powered game engine doesn't just create virtual worlds from text prompts, it seamlessly integrates NFTs and tokenization into gameplay. Backed by Polygon, Jump Crypto, and Shima Capital, Mixie represents genuine Web3 innovation, not just crypto speculation. Matt Morgan, Mixie's CEO and an advisor to World Liberty Financial, sees the bigger picture. "Web3 will transform American public markets by tokenizing assets, enabling fractional ownership and instant liquidity," he explains. "This bridge empowers everyday investors to engage in wealth creation with unprecedented trust and transparency through decentralized systems." The significance extends far beyond one acquisition. For the first time in crypto history, a blockchain-focused company joins NASDAQ specifically to create value for other Web3 protocols. This breaks the monopoly that exchanges and miners held on public market access. Netcapital becomes the first publicly traded company dedicated to bridging these two massive capital pools. Consider what this precedent enables. Protocols struggling with venture funding rounds suddenly have a new path to liquidity. Traditional investors who wouldn't touch crypto tokens can now gain Web3 exposure through regulated equity markets. The acquisition creates a template other public companies can follow, potentially triggering a wave of similar deals. The synergies run deeper than capital access. Netcapital's expertise in exempted securities offerings, combined with Mixie's tokenization technology, could revolutionize how Web3 companies raise funds. Imagine DeFi protocols offering compliant security tokens to retail investors. Picture NFT platforms accessing public market capital without sacrificing their decentralized ethos. The infrastructure for this convergence now exists. "Integrating Web3's blockchain with American public markets is about democratizing capital," Morgan emphasizes. "Tokenized securities on transparent ledgers will drive efficiency and inclusion, redefining how value moves in our economy." His vision aligns perfectly with Netcapital's mission of making investment opportunities accessible to everyone. Challenges remain substantial. Regulatory frameworks still need updating to accommodate hybrid securities. Traditional investors require education about Web3 risks and opportunities. The technology stack connecting blockchain protocols to stock exchanges needs development and testing. Success looks like a world where innovative protocols access public markets as easily as traditional companies. Where retail investors choose between Apple stock and Aave tokens in the same portfolio. Where the $100 trillion in global stock markets flows freely into deserving Web3 projects. This acquisition marks the beginning, not the end. As more public companies recognize the opportunity, as regulators develop clearer frameworks, and as investors demand access to Web3 innovation, the trickle could become a flood. The financial revolution that crypto promised finally has a bridge to the traditional world. Netcapital and Mixie just showed everyone how to build it.