Introduction
What if the capability to fully encrypt data in a network wasn’t limited by insufficient data availability infrastructure? What if massive volumes of data could be stored in the blockchain and utilized to run complex AI models, supporting any high-performance needs?
“0G DA” is an infinitely scalable data availability solution from 0G that addresses all these challenges.
In this article, we will provide an overview of:
- The new 0G DA architecture and data storage model that together ensure exceptionally high data availability
- Implications for Web3 industry scalability
- Potential use cases
Existing Data Availability Solutions are Inadequate
Data Availability Levels (DAL) offer an efficient yet secure way to publish data and keep it accessible for verification. For instance, Layer 2 rollups publish data that must be available to prove that off-chain transactions were executed correctly.
However, current DALs cannot adequately support high-performance dApps or use cases like on-chain AI.
Alternative solutions such as Celestia and EigenDA have been introduced, acting as DALs that allow for more efficient data publication. These solutions reduce the associated costs of DA and are seen as complements to the future Ethereum danksharding.
Both solutions face challenges:
- Celestia: Data must be broadcast to all consensus nodes (rather than selectively), limiting throughput to 10 MB/s. This is far from sufficient for widespread Layer 2/3 networks and data-heavy use cases like decentralized AI. Other existing issues (e.g., validator profitability or outdated code) may require significant updates in the future.
- EigenDA: While EigenDA includes horizontal scalability to improve scalability, there are many performance bottlenecks. For example, validators are constrained and slowed down by the need to maintain a full Ethereum node and interact with Ethereum staking smart contracts. The storage layer is also not well-designed to support scenarios like decentralized machine learning (e.g., OPML), which require vast amounts of data.
0G DA: A Scalable Data Availability Solution
0G DA is an infinitely scalable data availability solution from 0G, integrated directly into the general-purpose data storage system, 0G Storage.
Secure Data Storage for 0G
To store data in the 0G system, it is encoded using erasure coding, which means the stored data is fragmented into redundant smaller pieces distributed across multiple storage locations. This ensures quick recovery in case of any storage node failure, and a Merkle tree is then formed with this data. This Merkle tree is sent to the 0G Consensus layer (“0G Consensus”), which helps identify any changes in the data and ensures quick data retrieval when needed.
Besides erasure coding, data is broken into “data shards,” which are then sent to various storage nodes. These storage nodes maintain the 0G data storage network, responsible for tasks like fast and accurate storage and retrieval of data shards and coordination with 0G DA to confirm data availability.
New 0G DA Architecture
0G consists of three parts:
- 0G Storage: A general-purpose data system managed by storage nodes.
- 0G DA: A data availability system built on 0G Storage.
- 0G Consensus: The 0G consensus network.
The architecture is as follows:
The actual data availability confirmation relies on two workflows:
- Data Publication: To ensure data availability guarantees.
- Data Storage Bandwidth: For transmitting large data volumes into 0G Storage.
The data publication workflow is crucial for the 0G data availability property and works by having the consensus network verify aggregated signatures from the respective storage nodes. This means 0G storage nodes must reliably certify that the data truly exists in the 0G Storage, verified by the 0G consensus network.
This process is extremely fast, as only a small portion of the data needs to pass through the consensus protocol to avoid any bottlenecks in data publication.
New 0G DA Architecture
0G consists of three parts:
- 0G Storage: A general-purpose data system managed by storage nodes.
- 0G DA: A data availability system built on 0G Storage.
- 0G Consensus: The 0G consensus network.
The architecture is as follows:
The actual data availability confirmation relies on two workflows:
- Data Publication: To ensure data availability guarantees.
- Data Storage Bandwidth: For transmitting large data volumes into 0G Storage.
The data publication workflow is crucial for the 0G data availability property and works by having the consensus network verify aggregated signatures from the respective storage nodes. This means 0G storage nodes must reliably certify that the data truly exists in the 0G Storage, verified by the 0G consensus network.
This process is extremely fast, as only a small portion of the data needs to pass through the consensus protocol to avoid any bottlenecks in data publication.
Infinite Scalability with 0G DA
0G uses a similar approach to EigenDA, where an “honest majority” of selected storage nodes must agree that the data is correct (in exchange for mining rewards). Unlike EigenDA, a Verifiable Random Function (VRF) is used to randomly select storage nodes, preventing potential collusion.
0G Consensus can then quickly verify data availability at speeds 1000 times faster than Ethereum danksharding and four times faster than Solana’s FireDancer.
Where Does the Infinite Scalability Come From?
0G Consensus can consist of any number of networks, relying on the same set of validators who can simultaneously verify all of them. For example, there can be five or 5000 consensus networks, securely managed by the same set of validators through a process known as shared staking.
These validators stake their assets in the main network (likely Ethereum), and any event in the network that can lead to slashing will result in slashing in the main network. When a validator receives incentives in the network they verify, they can burn their tokens to receive them in the main chain.
As the 0G ecosystem continues to evolve, additional consensus networks can be added for infinite system scaling.
Unlocking New Potential: Expanded Use Cases
Traditionally, the biggest advantage of a DA solution is the cost-effective publication of Layer 2 and Layer 3. With 0G, the benefits extend far beyond this.
Given that vast amounts of data can be stored in 0G Storage and quickly retrieved when needed, it means entire AI models can be hosted on-chain with full data availability potential on demand.
Here are the benefits for various stakeholders:
- L1s / L2s: These parties can use 0G AI models or utilize 0G for data availability and storage. Partners include Polygon, Arbitrum, Fuel, Manta Network, and others.
- Decentralized Shared Sequencers: Sequencers are used to order Layer 2 transactions before sending them to Ethereum, while shared sequencers allow multiple rollups to share a single decentralized sequencer network. Any DA solution, 0G or otherwise, can use 0G to connect to the data flow across all networks via a specific shared sequencer for efficient sequencing.
- Bridges: Given that networks can easily store their state with 0G, state migration between networks is possible, facilitating secure cross-chain transfers. For instance, a network can use 0G DA to verify that a user truly owns assets and has confirmed a transfer, then transmit this to another network for fast and secure bridging.
- Rollups-as-a-Service (RaaS): 0G can serve as a DA option and data storage infrastructure for RaaS providers like Caldera and AltLayer.
- DeFi: 0G’s fast and scalable DA can support high-performance DeFi on specific L2 and L3 chains through rapid settlement and storage. For example, storing order book data for high-frequency trading.
- On-Chain Gaming: Games require large amounts of data related to cryptographic verification that need to be securely stored, in addition to all the usual metadata such as player assets, scores, actions, etc.
- Data Marketplaces: It logically follows that Web3 data marketplaces store their data on-chain, which can be updated and quickly queried using 0G.
Currently, 0G is focused on the cryptographic AI market, where many barriers limit progress in the space. The ability of 0G to store vast amounts of data and quickly access this data (or any AI models built on this data) creates unprecedented potential for the space, and we are busy making this a reality.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, 0G DA provides an infinitely scalable DA solution, built on 0G Storage, capable of fast data verification by the 0G Consensus network.
To summarize:
- 0G DA is integrated with 0G Storage. It can confirm data availability for 0G Storage by randomly selecting a quorum of 0G storage nodes to verify the data, using an “honest majority” assumption for security.
- 0G Consensus verifies the validity of storage nodes, and 0G Consensus can be infinitely scaled by adding new networks managed by the same validators through a process known as “shared staking.”
- This is the most scalable solution on the market, applicable to a wide range of projects, including L1/L2, bridges, rollups-as-a-service, data marketplaces, DeFi, and more.
It’s an exciting time to be in Web3, but there’s still much work to be done.
