EigenLayer launches revolutionary platform EigenCloud

EigenLayer officially launched its new platform, EigenCloud. To demonstrate its strong confidence in the long-term value of the project, a well-known investment firm purchased up to $70 million worth of EIGEN tokens, making a strategic investment in EigenLayer.

This is not just a product launch and financing; it marks EigenLayer's official transition from an underlying security sharing protocol to a platform-level ecosystem that empowers thousands of applications.

Why is EigenCloud needed?

Our digital life now has a certain "split".

On one hand, we have blockchain Web3, which has the advantage of "trust". For example, DeFi on Ethereum relies entirely on code for lending, without worrying about platform defaults. However, its problems are also quite obvious: limited functionality and slow operation. Complex calculations consume a lot of Gas, not to mention running AI models or large games. Specific limitations include:

• Software scarcity: Most open-source software libraries in the Web2 world are not available on the blockchain.
• Hardware performance is limited: cannot use high-performance hardware such as GPUs.
• Isolated from the outside world: Blockchain applications find it difficult to access external information.

On the other hand, we have cloud computing ( Web 2). Its advantage is "fully functional". Almost all functional requirements can be met, including AI, big data, social media, and so on. But its fatal problem is: users must completely trust centralized big companies.

EigenCloud aims to solve this "split". Its innovation lies in transferring complex application logic from the blockchain to a powerful cloud ( off-chain ) processing, while utilizing the blockchain's "trust" mechanism to provide credibility assurance for cloud work. This allows for a balance of both advantages.

The Three Core Components of EigenCloud

Taking the development of a "decentralized delivery platform" TrustEat as an example, EigenCloud provides the following three core components to simplify the development process:

1. EigenDA ( Archive )

   • Function: A super large capacity, low-cost "public data wall" that records all off-chain computation inputs, outputs, and processes.
   • Application: Record order information, delivery routes, reviews, and other data to ensure information is transparent and traceable.

2. EigenVerify ( Universal Court )

   • Function: A "Universal Arbitration Court" that is always available to resolve disputes over off-chain computation results.
   • Application:
     • Objective disputes: such as billing calculation errors, recalculation and correction.
     • Subjective Disputes: For example, if a user complains "The takeaway arrived cold", organize a "jury" to assess the reasonableness.

3. EigenCompute ( one-click deployment platform & Lego Factory )

   • Function:
     • Simplified deployment: Package the underlying complex operations, and developers only need to upload the Docker container.
     • Modular development: Provides various combinable AVS( application verification services), just like Lego blocks.
     • Cross-chain compatibility: Build once, deploy on multiple blockchains.
   • Application:
     • Quickly integrate various features, such as AI pricing, user data processing, cross-chain payments, etc.
     • Significantly lower the development threshold and improve efficiency.

EIGEN and bEIGEN: The System's Dual Token Model

EigenCloud adopts a dual-token model to drive the operation of the system:

• EIGEN: Ordinary "cash", freely tradable and can participate in DeFi activities.
• bEIGEN: "work certificate", participate in the construction of EigenCloud ( if serving as a "juror" ) requires staking EIGEN in exchange. Malicious acts may result in being slashed.

This design separates speculators from builders, enhancing system stability.

To prevent collusion among the majority, the system has introduced a "forkability" mechanism. The honest minority can initiate a fork to create a new version of the token. The community decides justice by supporting different versions and punishing wrongdoers.

Comparison with ZK Co-processor

EigenCloud has similarities with the previously popular concept of ZK co-processors, both aiming to achieve a fusion of "off-chain complex computation + on-chain trust". However, there are differences in their technical approaches:

• ZK co-processor: Similar to a rigorous mathematician, it uses cryptography to prove the computational correctness of objective facts. It pursues absolute correctness in mathematics but finds it difficult to handle subjective issues.
• EigenCloud: More like economists and sociologists, ensuring trustworthy results through economic games and social consensus. Capable of handling subjectively verifiable problems.

The silence of the ZK co-processor has provided insights for EigenCloud: the key to project success lies in finding irreplaceable application scenarios for "off-chain complex computation + on-chain trust."

The Strategic Significance of EigenCloud

The EigenLayer team has multiple considerations in launching EigenCloud at this time:

1. Tell a new story: shift from "re-staking" to "building the verifiable layer of the next generation of the internet," expanding the imagination space and boosting market confidence.

2. Create token demand: Applications such as EigenDA, EigenVerify, and EigenCompute provide real use cases for the EIGEN token, supporting its price.

3. Lowering the development threshold: EigenCompute simplifies the Web3 application development process, which is expected to attract more developers and create a positive ecological cycle.

Summary

EigenCloud is an ambitious project that attempts to combine the powerful functionalities of Web2 with the reliable trust of Web3. It paves the way for complex applications in AI, social, gaming, and more to enter the Web3 world. Despite numerous challenges, EigenCloud has outlined an exciting blueprint: a future where all digital actions are verifiable and trustworthy. Let us wait and see if it can usher in a new era of "verifiable economy."