In this piece i attempt to explain Double Zero, the main themes, important ideas, and key facts around DoubleZero, a new initiative aiming to build a faster and more reliable internet infrastructure optimized for distributed systems, particularly blockchains.

The current public internet, while a marvel of global connectivity, faces inherent limitations when it comes to the demanding needs of modern distributed systems like high-throughput blockchains. These limitations primarily revolve around latency, bandwidth predictability, and decentralization at the network layer.

Latency and Jitter: Information packets traversing the public internet often take non-deterministic routes, leading to variable delays (latency) and inconsistencies in arrival times (jitter). This is because the internet's routing system is primarily optimized for cost reduction, not speed.

As Austin Federa states, "...each time the packet is being routed over a different path in real time... if I ping from my house to your house constantly it might take you know 45 milliseconds the first time 75 milliseconds second time 35 milliseconds the third time..." This unpredictability is detrimental to applications requiring low and consistent latency, such as high-frequency trading and blockchain consensus mechanisms. "This doesn't work very well for high frequency trading... this barely works for something like YouTube..."

Bandwidth Limitations and Unpredictability: The public internet offers shared bandwidth, meaning the available capacity can fluctuate, leading to dropped packets and indeterminate experiences.

Austin Federa uses the analogy of calling an Uber versus having a private driver: "...you can probably get an Uber but like it might be four minutes,it might be 12 minutes might be $20, might be $8 right? There's a lot of variance that goes into that sort of experience."

Dedicated bandwidth, on the other hand, offers a more predictable and always-available connection.

Centralized Network Infrastructure: The physical infrastructure of the internet is surprisingly centralized, with a small number of tier-one service providers controlling a significant portion of the network.

Mato Ward notes, "...tier one service providers there's roughly was it 19 something along those lines that control the entire internet with peering agreements..."

This centralization presents potential censorship risks at the network level, a concern for decentralized and censorship-resistant blockchains. "The ethereum Nakamoto coefficient from a networking standpoint is something like four on salana it's basically two." (Austin Federa)

Inefficient Transaction Processing: On blockchains, validators currently receive and process a large volume of inbound transactions over the public internet, including invalid and duplicate ones, consuming significant computational resources.

Austin Federa explains, "...a validator spends about 70% of its time just sorting through transactions with invalid signatures duplicate transactions all this other kind of crap to get to the stuff it actually wants to put into the block."

DoubleZero proposes building a new internet infrastructure (referred to as an "N1") based on a Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN). This involves:

Leveraging Underutilized Private Dark Fiber: DoubleZero aims to aggregate capacity from existing private fiber optic networks owned by entities like financial firms and telecommunications companies.

Austin Federa states, "DoubleZero envisions creating a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) of underutilized private dark fiber links and contributions from large network operators like financial firms and telcos."

Creating a Meshed Transport Layer: This aggregated fiber capacity will form a synchronized network designed for low-latency and high-bandwidth routing, optimized for distributed systems.

The goal is a "meshed transport layer that filters and serves traffic across low-latency and high-bandwidth routes, allowing distributed systems to send and receive information efficiently."

Individually contributed fiber links are combined to increase bandwidth, lower latency, and reduce jitter.

Applying Blockchain Principles: DoubleZero seeks to bring the benefits of private networking – dedicated bandwidth, predictable latency – while incorporating blockchain principles like credible neutrality, censorship resistance, and decentralization. "We set out to take sort of the best of the traditional you know private networking world and apply blockchain principles to it and see if we could build credibly neutral Bas layer infrastructure that also provides censorship resistance and decentralization." (Austin Federa)

Utilizing FPGA Technology at the Edge: DoubleZero plans to deploy specialized hardware, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), within its network switches. These FPGAs can perform tasks like signature verification and transaction deduplication at line rate, offloading work from validators and enhancing security and efficiency.

Austin Federa describes, "...within those fpgas we can build images that do signature verification that do transaction dupli fication that actually can Implement transaction signing can do all sorts of different types of operations accelerated... these fpgas can do signature verification and dupli fication of about a millisecond per transaction and can do about a 100 gigabits of throughput."

Mateo Ward adds, "...one of the properties of double zero uh is that we have user programmable fpga devices inside the double zero switches... you may want to uh inspect the packet to see if it has a valid signature on it... you may want to in the case of uh of a blockchain network you may want to ensure that transactions are only arriving at validator nodes one time..."

Implementing Multicast for Efficient State Propagation: DoubleZero intends to utilize multicast networking to streamline the dissemination of state transitions (like new blocks) to all network participants simultaneously, reducing bandwidth requirements and latency.

Austin Federa explains, "...if my validator is building a block and it has said here's my proposed block let me send it out... I am now sending that shred once and all of Merz rpcs are pulling it in all other validators on the network are automatically getting that data pushed to them..."

DoubleZero will employ token incentives to attract network contributors (those providing fiber capacity) and users (like validators and RPC providers).

Token Rewards for Contributors: Contributors who dedicate unused capacity on their fiber networks to DoubleZero will be rewarded with tokens. This helps offset the cost of their infrastructure and creates a more decentralized base layer.

Austin Federa notes, "...if double Zero allows you to carve out let's say 10% of the fiber Network that you've run and say we're going to contribute this to double zero protocol we're going to get rewarded with token incentives..."

Fees for Network Usage: Validators and other entities requiring low-latency and high-performance connectivity will pay fees to utilize the DoubleZero network.

Austin Federa states, "...validators and other RPC Services me clients anything that is really time sensitive and where time matters they you know pay fees to use the network there's prioritization fees all these sorts of different economic models that are very native to crypto..."

Tokenomics Design: The tokenomics model will incorporate mechanisms to ensure economic integrity and long-term sustainability, including inflation management and potential token burning.

The inflation rate will be market-based, reacting to staking participation and aiming to counterbalance token burning over time to maintain a stable asymptotic supply. "This system of market signals and constraints governs the ultimate inflation rate in DoubleZero, such that it serves a purpose but does so sustainably."

The value provided by contributors is envisioned to be a function of traffic volume and the negative latency of that traffic (i.e., faster delivery of more data is more valuable). "The value function is simple. Taking its inspiration from the “Increase Bandwidth and Reduce Latency” rallying cry, it is simply traffic times the negative latency of that traffic, summed over all traffic types..."

DoubleZero aims to significantly enhance the performance and reliability of distributed systems, unlocking new possibilities and use cases, particularly within the blockchain space.

Faster Blockchains: By providing a low-latency and high-bandwidth communication layer, DoubleZero could enable blockchains like Solana to significantly increase their transaction throughput and reduce confirmation times.

Austin Federa believes, "...if we're successful in this we basically remove the entire networking layer as a constraint from software engineers..."

The demo of Solana running at one million transactions per second on a 12-node cluster utilizing Fire Dancer over the DoubleZero network highlights this potential.

More Decentralized and Resilient Networks: By incentivizing contributions from diverse network operators, DoubleZero aims to create a more geographically distributed and censorship-resistant network infrastructure compared to the current internet.

New Applications: The enhanced performance and determinism offered by DoubleZero could enable the development of new types of decentralized applications requiring high throughput and low latency, such as distributed gaming, high-frequency DeFi applications, and decentralized CDNs.

Austin Federa speculates, "...what would you do with 10 times more capacity on salana? I don't know that's not necessarily my job to figure out... our job is not to say I know what people are going to build on this thing... what I can do is describe the characteristics of the system and a bunch of people are going to go oh I could try building this thing..."

Focus on Base Layer Improvement: DoubleZero's core philosophy is to improve the fundamental infrastructure layer, allowing entrepreneurs and developers to build innovative applications on top without being constrained by network limitations. "Our goal is is to expand the capacity at the base layer and let entrepreneurs smarter than us come in and build better products and services on top of it." (Austin Federa)

5.Current Status and Next Steps

DoubleZero recently raised funds, it is currently in testnet, with a presence in seven cities around the world with significant Solana stake: Singapore, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, London, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt.

Each testnet location has a DoubleZero device providing connectivity over private bandwidth and equipped with FPGA technology.

The team is actively hiring, seeking senior engineers, network engineers, and professionals for the foundation side (marketing, network relations, etc.).

Key milestones include launching the mainnet, activating the first 100 Gigabit network link, and implementing permissionless bandwidth contribution.

The ambitious goal is to have permissionless validators running on DoubleZero and the full token functionality operational by Breakpoint 2025.

DoubleZero represents a bold and ambitious undertaking to address the fundamental networking bottlenecks hindering the scalability and performance of distributed systems. By combining underutilized physical infrastructure with blockchain principles and cutting-edge hardware, DoubleZero aims to create a faster, more reliable, and more decentralized internet layer, potentially unlocking a new era of innovation for blockchains and other latency-sensitive applications.

https://x.com/doublezero

https://t.co/KU0GBzParM

In this piece i attempt to explain Double Zero, the main themes, important ideas, and key facts around DoubleZero, a new initiative aiming to build a faster and more reliable internet infrastructure optimized for distributed systems, particularly blockchains.

The current public internet, while a marvel of global connectivity, faces inherent limitations when it comes to the demanding needs of modern distributed systems like high-throughput blockchains. These limitations primarily revolve around latency, bandwidth predictability, and decentralization at the network layer.

Latency and Jitter: Information packets traversing the public internet often take non-deterministic routes, leading to variable delays (latency) and inconsistencies in arrival times (jitter). This is because the internet's routing system is primarily optimized for cost reduction, not speed.

As Austin Federa states, "...each time the packet is being routed over a different path in real time... if I ping from my house to your house constantly it might take you know 45 milliseconds the first time 75 milliseconds second time 35 milliseconds the third time..." This unpredictability is detrimental to applications requiring low and consistent latency, such as high-frequency trading and blockchain consensus mechanisms. "This doesn't work very well for high frequency trading... this barely works for something like YouTube..."

Bandwidth Limitations and Unpredictability: The public internet offers shared bandwidth, meaning the available capacity can fluctuate, leading to dropped packets and indeterminate experiences.

Austin Federa uses the analogy of calling an Uber versus having a private driver: "...you can probably get an Uber but like it might be four minutes,it might be 12 minutes might be $20, might be $8 right? There's a lot of variance that goes into that sort of experience."

Dedicated bandwidth, on the other hand, offers a more predictable and always-available connection.

Centralized Network Infrastructure: The physical infrastructure of the internet is surprisingly centralized, with a small number of tier-one service providers controlling a significant portion of the network.

Mato Ward notes, "...tier one service providers there's roughly was it 19 something along those lines that control the entire internet with peering agreements..."

This centralization presents potential censorship risks at the network level, a concern for decentralized and censorship-resistant blockchains. "The ethereum Nakamoto coefficient from a networking standpoint is something like four on salana it's basically two." (Austin Federa)

Inefficient Transaction Processing: On blockchains, validators currently receive and process a large volume of inbound transactions over the public internet, including invalid and duplicate ones, consuming significant computational resources.

Austin Federa explains, "...a validator spends about 70% of its time just sorting through transactions with invalid signatures duplicate transactions all this other kind of crap to get to the stuff it actually wants to put into the block."

DoubleZero proposes building a new internet infrastructure (referred to as an "N1") based on a Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN). This involves:

Leveraging Underutilized Private Dark Fiber: DoubleZero aims to aggregate capacity from existing private fiber optic networks owned by entities like financial firms and telecommunications companies.

Austin Federa states, "DoubleZero envisions creating a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) of underutilized private dark fiber links and contributions from large network operators like financial firms and telcos."

Creating a Meshed Transport Layer: This aggregated fiber capacity will form a synchronized network designed for low-latency and high-bandwidth routing, optimized for distributed systems.

The goal is a "meshed transport layer that filters and serves traffic across low-latency and high-bandwidth routes, allowing distributed systems to send and receive information efficiently."

Individually contributed fiber links are combined to increase bandwidth, lower latency, and reduce jitter.

Applying Blockchain Principles: DoubleZero seeks to bring the benefits of private networking – dedicated bandwidth, predictable latency – while incorporating blockchain principles like credible neutrality, censorship resistance, and decentralization. "We set out to take sort of the best of the traditional you know private networking world and apply blockchain principles to it and see if we could build credibly neutral Bas layer infrastructure that also provides censorship resistance and decentralization." (Austin Federa)

Utilizing FPGA Technology at the Edge: DoubleZero plans to deploy specialized hardware, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), within its network switches. These FPGAs can perform tasks like signature verification and transaction deduplication at line rate, offloading work from validators and enhancing security and efficiency.

Austin Federa describes, "...within those fpgas we can build images that do signature verification that do transaction dupli fication that actually can Implement transaction signing can do all sorts of different types of operations accelerated... these fpgas can do signature verification and dupli fication of about a millisecond per transaction and can do about a 100 gigabits of throughput."

Mateo Ward adds, "...one of the properties of double zero uh is that we have user programmable fpga devices inside the double zero switches... you may want to uh inspect the packet to see if it has a valid signature on it... you may want to in the case of uh of a blockchain network you may want to ensure that transactions are only arriving at validator nodes one time..."

Implementing Multicast for Efficient State Propagation: DoubleZero intends to utilize multicast networking to streamline the dissemination of state transitions (like new blocks) to all network participants simultaneously, reducing bandwidth requirements and latency.

Austin Federa explains, "...if my validator is building a block and it has said here's my proposed block let me send it out... I am now sending that shred once and all of Merz rpcs are pulling it in all other validators on the network are automatically getting that data pushed to them..."

DoubleZero will employ token incentives to attract network contributors (those providing fiber capacity) and users (like validators and RPC providers).

Token Rewards for Contributors: Contributors who dedicate unused capacity on their fiber networks to DoubleZero will be rewarded with tokens. This helps offset the cost of their infrastructure and creates a more decentralized base layer.

Austin Federa notes, "...if double Zero allows you to carve out let's say 10% of the fiber Network that you've run and say we're going to contribute this to double zero protocol we're going to get rewarded with token incentives..."

Fees for Network Usage: Validators and other entities requiring low-latency and high-performance connectivity will pay fees to utilize the DoubleZero network.

Austin Federa states, "...validators and other RPC Services me clients anything that is really time sensitive and where time matters they you know pay fees to use the network there's prioritization fees all these sorts of different economic models that are very native to crypto..."

Tokenomics Design: The tokenomics model will incorporate mechanisms to ensure economic integrity and long-term sustainability, including inflation management and potential token burning.

The inflation rate will be market-based, reacting to staking participation and aiming to counterbalance token burning over time to maintain a stable asymptotic supply. "This system of market signals and constraints governs the ultimate inflation rate in DoubleZero, such that it serves a purpose but does so sustainably."

The value provided by contributors is envisioned to be a function of traffic volume and the negative latency of that traffic (i.e., faster delivery of more data is more valuable). "The value function is simple. Taking its inspiration from the “Increase Bandwidth and Reduce Latency” rallying cry, it is simply traffic times the negative latency of that traffic, summed over all traffic types..."

DoubleZero aims to significantly enhance the performance and reliability of distributed systems, unlocking new possibilities and use cases, particularly within the blockchain space.

Faster Blockchains: By providing a low-latency and high-bandwidth communication layer, DoubleZero could enable blockchains like Solana to significantly increase their transaction throughput and reduce confirmation times.

Austin Federa believes, "...if we're successful in this we basically remove the entire networking layer as a constraint from software engineers..."

The demo of Solana running at one million transactions per second on a 12-node cluster utilizing Fire Dancer over the DoubleZero network highlights this potential.

More Decentralized and Resilient Networks: By incentivizing contributions from diverse network operators, DoubleZero aims to create a more geographically distributed and censorship-resistant network infrastructure compared to the current internet.

New Applications: The enhanced performance and determinism offered by DoubleZero could enable the development of new types of decentralized applications requiring high throughput and low latency, such as distributed gaming, high-frequency DeFi applications, and decentralized CDNs.

Austin Federa speculates, "...what would you do with 10 times more capacity on salana? I don't know that's not necessarily my job to figure out... our job is not to say I know what people are going to build on this thing... what I can do is describe the characteristics of the system and a bunch of people are going to go oh I could try building this thing..."

Focus on Base Layer Improvement: DoubleZero's core philosophy is to improve the fundamental infrastructure layer, allowing entrepreneurs and developers to build innovative applications on top without being constrained by network limitations. "Our goal is is to expand the capacity at the base layer and let entrepreneurs smarter than us come in and build better products and services on top of it." (Austin Federa)

5.Current Status and Next Steps

DoubleZero recently raised funds, it is currently in testnet, with a presence in seven cities around the world with significant Solana stake: Singapore, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, London, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt.

Each testnet location has a DoubleZero device providing connectivity over private bandwidth and equipped with FPGA technology.

The team is actively hiring, seeking senior engineers, network engineers, and professionals for the foundation side (marketing, network relations, etc.).

Key milestones include launching the mainnet, activating the first 100 Gigabit network link, and implementing permissionless bandwidth contribution.

The ambitious goal is to have permissionless validators running on DoubleZero and the full token functionality operational by Breakpoint 2025.

DoubleZero represents a bold and ambitious undertaking to address the fundamental networking bottlenecks hindering the scalability and performance of distributed systems. By combining underutilized physical infrastructure with blockchain principles and cutting-edge hardware, DoubleZero aims to create a faster, more reliable, and more decentralized internet layer, potentially unlocking a new era of innovation for blockchains and other latency-sensitive applications.

https://x.com/doublezero

https://t.co/KU0GBzParM