Traditional blockchains usually reward developers for relatively simple tasks like executing a correct DeFi transaction or participating in an airdrop. But what if you could be incentivized for more substantial computations that make a significant impact? From modeling climate changes to handling deep learning tasks, your Proofs of Useful Work (conducting extensive computations) have the potential to contribute to meaningful real-world transformations.
If the concept of assisting individuals in solving substantial, verifiable mathematical problems or conducting physical simulations using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and instantly receiving rewards sounds appealing to you, we encourage you to submit an application for a Proof of Useful Work Blueprint grant proposal (RFP).
Challenges That Can Be Addressed Using ZKPs
Computer scientists often categorize problems based on their theoretical complexity, ranging from straightforward tasks like optimizing a supermarket route to find the cheapest bread to intricate problems like determining the shortest path through a list of cities.
Numerous institutions and organizations are already dedicated to finding solutions to complex issues. Scientific initiatives like the University of California, Berkeley's BOINC use collaborative computing for research purposes, investigating diseases, climate shifts, pulsars, and various other scientific domains.
Another notable initiative is folding@home, where developers can contribute their computational resources to combat global health threats, including COVID-19, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Additionally, there are numerous other issues that require computational solutions, such as:
Enhancing our comprehension of celestial objects and physics.
Deep learning.
Climate modeling.
Medical and biological modeling, such as protein folding.
Even SAT competitions involve complex computational challenges.
The more complex the problem, the more computational power is needed to resolve it. You can validate substantial computations, even extremely large ones, using LEO, Aleo's programming language, and leveraging ZKPs. Some problems demand an almost unlimited amount of computational resources, making it more efficient to delegate them to both trusted and untrusted entities (ZKPs allow rapid and secure verification of the latter).
While systems like BOINC and folding@home play an essential role in valuable work, they do not financially compensate contributors for their solutions. Furthermore, previous attempts to reward "Proofs of Useful Work" have often been focused on specialized problems (see Primecoin).
The Aleo Proof of Useful Work Blueprint Grant offers an alternative approach. Aleo already recognizes and compensates developers for creating ZKPs. Now, you can enable others to provide incentives for solving computational problems that have a genuine impact.