The Polkadot protocol's creator, Gavin Wood, has released a new Gray Paper that details the upcoming Join-Accumulate Machine (JAM) upgrade for the network. Wood made this announcement when discussing Polkadot's future during his talk at the Token2049 cryptocurrency conference in Dubai.
To promote diverse JAM protocol development, Wood established the JAM Implementer's Prize, a 10 million DOT prize pool.
JAM Update Revealed by Polkadot
Polkadot's relay chain, which serves as the network's central data chain, is to be replaced, according to the statement, with a "more modular and minimalist design" that will enable Polkadot to operate generic services and improve network reliability.
Existing Substrate-based parachains will be supported by JAM's parachains service, allowing developers to keep utilizing Substrate to create and implement their blockchains.
Notably, these services can accept extra DOT deposits for higher capacity and will not be limited by predetermined guidelines for code, data, or state capacity.
The design of JAM incorporates a number of technological advances. The Polkadot Virtual Machine, which is based on the RISC-V ISA, an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) used to create custom processors, takes the place of WebAssembly.
Additionally, SAFROLE, a block production method based on SNARK, is introduced. It is said that the purpose of these updates is to maximize scalability and performance in the Polkadot network.
Heading Towards Decentralization?
Polkadot intends to enable numerous client implementations in order to fulfill the goal of realizing "a truly decentralized protocol". In addition, initiatives that support the creation of JAM implementations are encouraged and financially supported through the establishment of the JAM Implementer's Prize. The statement goes on to detail the issue as follows:
"We believe that supporting a range of implementations in various programming languages will strengthen the ecosystem’s foundation. It distributes the power of protocol implementers more widely and reduces the risk of a bug in one implementation taking down the entire network."
The JAM Implementer's Prize will work in tandem with current and upcoming financing programs to bolster Polkadot's technological stack and ecosystem. Among these projects are Polkadot's on-chain treasury, Grants, and Decentralized Futures.
All things considered, Polkadot's goal to boost the protocol's usage and adoption is evident in Gavin Wood's release of the JAM upgrade and the corresponding 10 Million DOT reward. It is also anticipated that JAM's incentives for multi-client implementations and modular design will support continued Polkadot network decentralization initiatives.
April 2024, Cryptoniteuae