Arizona State University, Dash explore blockchain scalability issues in new research
The Arizona State University Blockchain Research Lab, in collaboration with leading cryptocurrency Dash, has released new research that highlights some of the scaling challenges and potential opportunities for the Dash blockchain.
Titled “Block Propagation Applied to Nakamoto Networks,” the paper discusses the results of different scaling solution scenario simulations for the Dash network while also providing potential insights on the scalability challenges facing Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchains.
The research is part of a $350,000 partnership that was announced in January 2018 between Dash and ASU. The team was led by Dragan Boscovic, director of the ASU Blockchain Research Lab and professor in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, and researchers Nakul Chawla and Darren Tapp.
The research team focused on simulating different block size scaling scenarios for the Dash network with three different types of block propagation protocols: traditional full block propagation, compact block propagation and extreme thin (xthin) block propagation. Each simulation ran was applied to networks with at least 6,000 nodes and to account for variance the simulations were run long enough to simulate at least 700 blocks.
Some key takeaways from the research include:
“The implication of this research is prodigious not only for Dash, but for crypto as a whole. First, it means we can continue increasing block size and network capacity to at least five times our current capacity in the near term. This means we will soon have 40 times the capacity of the Bitcoin network and a credible path to scaling further in the future. This is the type of scalability we need to achieve mass adoption as a daily payments solution,” Ryan Taylor, CEO of Dash Core, said.