With the prosperity of Web3 applications, the overall decentralization and data privacy of DApp applications have also become the focus. At the same time, the integration of AI and various scenarios has also caused many decentralized applications to encounter problems in coordinating network data calculation, processing and result verification. Faced with the increasing market demand for various transaction and data communication scenarios, Marlin Protocol can make up for the corresponding shortcomings and become a potential focus.
What is Marlin Protocol?
The main goal of Marlin Protocol is to expand decentralized computing through scalable coprocessors, including the use of zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) and TEE trusted execution environment to achieve the security and privacy of DApp data processing in distributed networks, ensuring the decentralized performance of core computing. Currently, most blockchains are difficult to meet the problems caused by large-scale data processing, which is also the main advantage of Marlin.
Marlin can run trustless servers off-chain to achieve transparency in the execution of on-chain applications. It also has scalability and fault-tolerance mechanisms, providing developers with CPU, GPU and other computing resources (INTEL SGX and the existing mainstream AI computing GPU H100, etc.) required for operation. The hardware cost of node operators is lower than that of other blockchain computing devices. Marlin reduces costs through marketization and token rewards, supports mainstream development languages such as Python, C++ or Go, and developers can easily deploy and maintain their own decentralized applications, and achieve credible verification results through ZK proof and TEE proof.
Currently, Marlin has implemented many common scenarios, such as the expansion of decentralized AI models, decentralized exchanges, oracles, decentralized domain name gateways, DApp web front-ends, and GameFi.
Marlin Oyster and TEE Trusted Execution Environment
Trusted execution environment (TEE) is a privacy protection technology based on cryptography. It implements isolated computing in a secure hardware environment such as SGX CPU, thereby ensuring data security and improving processing efficiency.
The TEE environment has an independent and complete processing space. We can regard it as a "small black room". Its security mainly comes from the low attack capability of the isolated hardware devices, and it reduces the additional computing power and communication overhead during the communication process. While ensuring data security, it can greatly improve data processing efficiency.
Marlin Oyster is an off-chain computing platform that provides developer users with a TEE-enabled hardware and software environment to complete various computing tasks, including deploying the backend or expanding smart contracts.
Oyster increases data security through TEE. Compared with ordinary servers, it consumes less resources, supports complex calculations, and greatly improves data processing speed. At the same time, the cost of TEE is very low compared to MPC, FHE and other proof methods, which has obvious advantages.
Marlin provides an open node market for Oyster. Node operators configure TEE by using compliant hardware devices, such as servers with SGX or AWS, Azure servers, etc., and rent resources by running corresponding programs. It provides Oyster Serverless serverless operating environment for DApp developers and promotes the transformation of centrally hosted services (API, gateway, etc.) to decentralization.
For example, in a decentralized front-end environment, developers can use enclave images and deploy them on IPFS, use Oyster to complete the image deployment, bind the domain to the secure zone on Oyster using CAA records, and set up DNS records. This ensures the security of authorization and records, and SSL certificates can be obtained through the system for connection, making the front-end of the DApp application decentralized.
Kalypso Zero-Knowledge Proof
Kalypso is Marlin's integrated solution for zero-knowledge proofs, which allows ZK proofs listed on the market, using market competition to reduce costs. Kalypso is modularly designed and can be integrated into ZK programs to meet DApp's processing needs for ZKP. Kalypso can provide a fast and smooth user experience, while also having a very high utilization rate of hardware resources, and the protocol is censorship-resistant.
In addition, Kalypso can parallelize processing and improve the flexibility of calculation by segmenting large computational proofs. Kalypso has its own proof network that is not controlled by a single factor, allowing anyone to join and make a bid to generate a proof.
Kalypso is mainly composed of proof requester, Kalypso matching engine, solver and other links.
Proof Requester: Mainly used for interaction with users and DApps.
Kalypso Matching Engine: by matching proof requests with compatible solvers.
Solver: Data processing services are implemented through ZK computing resources. The solver runs in the Oyster environment, which can increase the privacy and integrity of the data.
Marlin’s Impact and Advantages on DApp
The development of blockchain has promoted the growth of Web3 applications in various scenarios to a certain extent. DApp applications will gradually become more complex in the future. Through the blockchain impossible triangle, we can know that under the premise of ensuring security, efficiency and data processing speed are difficult to coexist. The use of TEE and other methods can promote and solve this problem at the hardware level, thereby further improving efficiency.
Compared with decentralized cloud computing market projects such as Akash, Marlin provides efficient blockchain data processing and verification solutions for DApps through the integration of Kalypso and Oyster. While reducing costs, it provides a serverless environment, accelerates the improvement of on-chain performance, and provides a decentralized computing resource market, making the environment for running applications decentralized, such as the implementation of Web page front-ends and decentralized domain names. Compared with decentralized computing environments such as chainlink functions, Marlin also supports HTTPS endpoints, further promoting the popularization of decentralization.
Project Financing and Tokens
Marlin received $3 million in seed round financing in 2019, with Binance Labs, Arrington XRP, Electric Capital and NGC participating in the investment. It also received financing from Cabin VC in 2020 and DWF Labs in 2023. The amounts of the two investments were not disclosed.
At the same time, Marlin has established partnerships with multiple Web3 application teams, including KONTOS, Lighthouse, Nulink, 3DNS, SpaceID, Bonfida, Prom, etc., to promote the decentralization of data applications and computing. In addition, as a ruby sponsor, Marlin also sponsored this year's Ethereum community conference.
Marlin token $POND has a total of 10 billion, of which 8 billion are currently in circulation. The market circulation is high and the selling pressure is low. The circulation market value is 170 million US dollars, ranking 263rd, and has been listed on well-known exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase. Users can get $POND rewards by running Marlin nodes and staking, and holders can participate in online voting.
Most of the project team members come from Ivy League schools and have excellent technical backgrounds. Founder and CEO Siddhartha Dutta is a research analyst and core developer of Zilliqa, has work experience at Microsoft, and founded HumBee. Co-founder Prateesh Goya is a Ph.D. in computer science from MIT and has worked with the Ethereum Foundation.
Summarize
Marlin Protocol has injected new vitality into the prosperity and development of Web3 applications. Through its scalable coprocessor and zero-knowledge proof technology, Marlin Protocol not only improves the security and privacy protection of DApp data processing, but also provides developers with efficient computing resources and serverless operating environment. With the support of Marlin Oyster and Kalypso, developers can easily build and deploy decentralized applications and enjoy efficient and secure data processing and verification services.
Marlin Protocol's contribution is not only reflected in technological innovation, but also in the promotion and development of the entire industry. As a leader in decentralized computing, Marlin Protocol is committed to breaking the limitations of traditional computing and data processing, and opening up a new path for the development of Web3 applications. By providing efficient and secure computing resources and verification services, Marlin Protocol creates a more open, transparent and trustworthy network environment for developers and users. In the future, we look forward to seeing Marlin Protocol play a role in more areas and bring more opportunities and challenges to the entire industry.
