The Polkadot Roadmap for 2025 and Beyond

Polkadot Decoded 2024 saw a significant talk delivered by Filippo Franchini, technical educator at the Web3 Foundation, focusing on “The Polkadot Roadmap 2024-25 and Beyond“. This session shed light on the advanced technological framework and future developments of Polkadot, a major player in the blockchain ecosystem. The discussion encompassed various aspects, including the enhancements to Polkadot’s architecture, innovative protocols, and strategic goals set for the next two years.

Polkadot Roadmap Key Highlights

1. Polkadot as a Multi-Core CPU

• Core Concept: Polkadot operates as a multi-core CPU with 50 cores, each comprising five validators. These validators are crucial for computation and maintaining the integrity of the blockchain network.
• Core Functionality: Polkadot’s structure allows different rollups and layer one blockchains to connect seamlessly, ensuring security and coherence in the Polkadot relay chain.

2. BEEFY Protocol and Trustless Communication

• BEEFY Protocol Introduction: Sitting atop the GRANDPA finality protocol, BEEFY enhances trustless communication. It allows for efficient state verification without tracking forks, a critical feature for bridging across ecosystems.
• Trustless Bridges: The talk emphasized the importance of trustless bridges like SnowBridge and the upcoming Polkadot HyperBridge, which aim to reduce hacks and provide secure cross-chain transfers.

3. Polkadot Protocol-Level Improvements

• Asynchronous Backing: Already implemented, this protocol speeds up block production for parachains, significantly enhancing data throughput.

4. Agile CoreTime and Elastic Scaling

• Agile CoreTime: This new system allows flexible allocation of core resources, enabling chains to share cores dynamically based on need, promoting efficient resource utilization.
• Elastic Scaling: By enabling processes to run across multiple cores, Polkadot moves closer to modern computing systems, enhancing parallel processing capabilities.

5. Shrinking the Relay Chain

• Minimal Relay Chain: Polkadot is moving towards offloading relay chain tasks to system parachains, reducing transaction load on the relay chain and focusing resources on security and computation.

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6. JAM: The Next Kernel Upgrade

• JAM Overview: JAM aims to make Polkadot more synchronous and coherent, allowing processes to share cores in a more integrated manner. It introduces new programmability options and performance improvements targeting the Polkadot Virtual Machine (PVM).
• Service Generalization: Parachains will evolve into a service model, enabling a more flexible and scalable ecosystem.

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