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Nkn

NKN (NKN)

NKN, or New Kind of Network, is a open-source protocol designed for public blockchain-based peer-to-peer networks. It facilitates the sharing of network bandwidth and internet connectivity. The project commenced in January 2018, with notable advisors such as Stephen Wolfram, the creator of Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha, and Whitfield Diffie, the inventor of public-key cryptography. The NKN Mainnet launched in July 2019, boasting an impressive number of up to 25,000 full consensus nodes, surpassing those of Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Use cases for NKN

NKN has been utilized in a variety of applications, including:

  • A content delivery system in collaboration with the Chinese video giant iQIYI.
  • Edge computing through a contract with China Mobile.
  • D-chat, a secure messaging application.
  • nShell, which provides secure remote terminal access.

Technical aspects of NKN

nkn background
Ticker NKN
Category Communication
Website https://www.nkn.org/
Twitter @NKN_ORG
Telegram nknorg
Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/nknblockchain/
Contract Addresses
ethereum 0x5c...ebCopied!

NKN's consensus algorithm draws inspiration from cellular automata, A New Kind of Science, and the Ising model. It employs a simple local majority rule that enables system-level convergence with minimal iterations. The protocol is designed to scale across numerous equal consensus nodes. It uses a global addressing scheme based on public keys, facilitating direct peer-to-peer communication without the need for centralized servers. Packet routing is managed through the Chord Distributed Hash Table (DHT), mapping each NKN address to a random and verifiable position on the Chord DHT ring.

NKN promotes the sharing of network connections by using economic incentives and optimizing unused bandwidth. This open, efficient, and robust networking infrastructure supports application developers in building a decentralized internet, ensuring secure, low-cost, and universally accessible connectivity.

Objectives of NKN

NKN aims to transform network technology and business, seeking to become the Uber or Airbnb of the communication service industry without a central entity. The project's ambitions include:

  • Enabling any node to connect to an open network from anywhere.
  • Encouraging network sharing.
  • Safeguarding net neutrality through network layer innovations.
  • Maintaining an open and scalable network.
  • Performing efficient and dynamic routing.
  • Tokenizing network connectivity and data transmission assets to incentivize participating nodes.
  • Designing and building the next generation of blockchain networks.

Team behind NKN

  • Yanbo Li - Founder responsible for strategy and system architecture.
  • Zheng “Bruce” Li - Co-founder focusing on strategy and operations.
  • Yilun Zhang - Co-founder, core researcher, and developer.
  • Allen Dixon - Business development and compliance.

Partnership and investors

NKN has established partnerships and received investments from notable entities including iQiyi, China Mobile, NETNIC, Telecom Infra Project, ONF, Datapace, Nokia, Cryptic Labs, Block VC, Arrington XRP Capital, Genesis, NOIA, NGC, DFO, Collinstar, Bluezelle, Node Capital, OKEx, Iotex, Ankr, String Capital, IF Capital, U Network, Harmony, Fenbushi Capital, OJLab, DxChain, and Taxa.