AO Mainnet Launches, Ushering in a New Era of Decentralized Computing and Permissionless Ecosystem Growth

$700 Million and Counting Already Bridged to AO Protocol

AO Mainnet Launches, Ushering in a New Era of Decentralized Computing and Permissionless Ecosystem Growth

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AO, a revolutionary platform for decentralized computing, launches its mainnet today following a highly successful testnet phase, with key milestones including:

Over $700 million pre-bridged to the AO testnet prior to launch.
More than 1.5 billion messages processed on the AO testnet.
Over 100 projects already integrated on the AO protocol, spanning decentralized exchanges, Web3 games, and more.
A fair launch distribution model, awarding 100% of AO tokens to users who deposited assets to the testnet and Arweave token holders.

“AO is not just a smart contract platform; it’s a decentralized supercomputer,” said Sam Williams, founder of AO and Arweave. “Combined with Arweave, AO’s architecture has the potential to radically change how we interact and transact on the web.”

AO’s Breakthrough Capabilities:

Infinite Parallel Processing: AO enables the simultaneous execution of unlimited parallel processes. Each smart contract operates as its own parallel “blockchain,” providing the throughput necessary to support internet-scale applications.
Enhanced Security with TEEs: AO leverages Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) for hardware-level security and private computation, enabling secure dApps without the overhead of Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) or Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs).
Unprecedented Smart Contract Data Capacity: AO smart contracts can be as large as standard computer programs, even supporting the on-chain execution of full Large Language Models (LLMs)—a Web3 first—with native access to all data stored on Arweave, which serves as AO’s permanent hard drive.
Self-Waking Contracts: AO smart contracts can be programmed to execute autonomously, facilitating the development of self-operating applications and supporting AO’s growing ecosystem of autonomous AI agents.
Modular Architecture: AO’s ultra-flexible design empowers developers to customize and extend the computer to meet their specific project requirements.

Fusing Blockchain and the Web: AO-Core

AO-Core, the core protocol of AO, embeds verifiable, cryptographically linked computation directly into HTTP. This means every HTTP request—from loading a webpage to executing complex computations—becomes a potential AO transaction. AO-Core is built on the web’s native standards, HTTP3 and the HTTP signed messages, and transforms them into a decentralized computational platform, addressing the scalability and trust limitations of centralized systems. AO-Core embeds verifiable proofs of the correctness of online results, offering attestations of trustworthiness similar to the familiar padlock icon for secure connections.

Harnessing the Web's Immense Network Effects

AO uniquely leverages the vast network effects of the existing web infrastructure. By building upon established standards like HTTP Signed Messages, AO taps into a network far larger than any individual blockchain. Existing web infrastructure, like Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), can now function as AO-Core state resolvers, dramatically increasing efficiency and scalability.

Enhanced Security with TEEs: Enabling Private Computation

AO offers a flexible security model, including execution inside TEEs, providing hardware-level security for private computations. This approach achieves high verifiability without the performance overhead of traditional methods like FHE and ZKPs. This trust-minimized verifiable infrastructure allows developers to run any application in a secure and transparent manner. TEEs enable secure decentralized exchanges, private voting systems, and confidential smart contracts.

Fair Launch Tokenomics: A Foundation for Equitable Growth

AO’s tokenomics are designed for fairness and long-term sustainability. A 100% fair launch, with a total supply of 21 million tokens and a continuous release mechanism, ensures equal access on equal terms. Arweave holders are eligible for AO tokens, recognizing Arweave's crucial role in providing permanent storage.

Introducing the Permaweb Index (pi): Simplifying Access and Fueling Ecosystem Growth

The Permaweb Index (pi) is designed to simplify user interaction with the permaweb by providing a single, accessible entry point to this decentralized ecosystem. Pi offers a diversified collection of assets, including:

AR (Arweave): Representing the foundational layer of permanent storage.
AO: Providing exposure to the core computational layer.
Fair-Launch Ecosystem Projects: Including promising projects built on the permaweb, fostering innovation and growth.

Key Features of the Permaweb Index:

Automated Access to all Permaweb Tokens: Pi offers a single point of access to a range of key assets within the permaweb, reducing the complexity of managing multiple tokens.
Automated Rebalancing: An autonomous on-chain agent dynamically manages the Index allocations to reflect the community’s sentiment regarding token values.
Fair Launch Participation: The Index participates in fair launches of new permaweb projects, further diversifying its holdings and supporting ecosystem growth while giving holders access to the newest and most exciting projects automatically.
Passive Indexing and Active Delegation: Users can choose to passively hold pi for diversified exposure or actively delegate their future yield.

“The Permaweb Index (pi) represents a critical step towards building a unified economic base of the permaweb,” said Williams. “By bridging the computational and storage layers, pi creates a cohesive ecosystem that fosters innovation and accelerates the growth of decentralized applications.”

About Forward Research

Forward Research is a venture protocol development company dedicated to growing the permaweb ecosystem. We are building towards a vision of a truly decentralized web, where user rights are immutably protected and software and data is permanent.

Founded and led by Sam Williams, the founder of the Arweave and AO protocols, Forward Research looks to incubate projects that expand permaweb adoption and use cases. We believe that the permaweb’s unique approach to data storage and its potential for creating truly decentralized applications will revolutionize the way we interact with the internet.