Project Abstract

The RedChain-Lab joint laboratory project aims at bringing together the research and innovation forces of the DRIM team of LIRIS laboratory and the company iExec Blockchain Tech in order to develop protocols and operational blocks to set up a decentralized cloud infrastructure that offers scalability, resilience, trust and confidentiality properties. In this context, in synergy with the technological positioning of iExec Blockchain Tech, this infrastructure will be based on blockchain technology whose unique intrinsic properties of decentralization, robustness and transparency make it the most qualified technology to achieve functional objectives.

Several scientific contributions are targeted by the project. We can cite:

• the investigation of scalability mechanisms for blockchain technology, in particular the use of side chains and the definition of new consensus algorithms adapted to the specific use cases of the platform developed by iExec Blockchain Tech;
• the investigation of trust management mechanisms within the framework of a cloud platform based on blockchain technology. In particular, we are considering the use of a combination of secure hardware (eg, Intel SGX, ARM TrustZone) and software (e.g, use of reputation protocols to assess the reliability of platform players) in order to offer contractual guarantees to both suppliers and consumers of resources allowing them to carry out transactions with confidence and
• Investigation of mechanisms for preserving the confidentiality of data handled and of the actors involved in a decentralized cloud platform. At the application level, the project will also investigate the use of the iExec decentralized marketplace to develop novel large scale Decentralized Web (DWeb) applications such as decentralized recommander systems and decentralized search mechanisms.