AO Mainnet launch event

Author: Kyle

Source: Content Guild - News

Opening

The long-awaited AO mainnet is now officially launched, and the $AO token has also started to circulate. Since we started the testnet in February last year, we have also made some extraordinary breakthroughs in core protocol design.

We have built a brand new computing primitive, which has been deeply embedded in the infrastructure of the Internet. It is the true realization of a world computer, a decentralized supercomputing environment, with the same foundational significance as the web content access primitive. We have thoroughly addressed the issues brought by global state sharing and solved all scalability challenges arising from it. AO token can now be transferred. So, this video will detail the economic mechanisms in this ecosystem. In the coming weeks, we will also hold dedicated workshops and events to provide in-depth explanations for developers and infrastructure providers on how to use the new technology we have introduced.

However, before going into a detailed explanation, let’s briefly outline the technical principles. Imagine if every time you visit a website, you could not only ensure the privacy of the connection, but also ensure that the data you receive is accurate and error-free, what kind of experience would this bring? This is like a new padlock icon added to the browser. This is the core value that the AO mainnet brings to the Internet.

AO-Core

The foundation of this protocol is what we call AO-Core. It is a simple yet powerful protocol that applies the core components of blockchain to the Internet transmission layer - the HTTP protocol, by performing verifiable, encrypted link calculations, effectively embedding the built-in blockchain directly into the existing Internet technology stack. AO-Core transforms every web request, whether loading a web page or using an API, into potential AO transactions. Another design result is that AO processes can also directly generate dynamically rendered web pages and seamlessly exchange data with the wider Internet. Meanwhile, the web application itself (i.e. smart contract) can, like any other AO process, send messages to existing web pages. Just like the built-in HTTP Oracle system, even though it does not require an external Oracle, because it is like an Oracle itself, as it is already embedded in the HTTP protocol layer. But this is only the beginning.

AO deduplication calculation (duplicates computation) shares the calculation results through the network. If a node has already executed a task, other nodes that trust it do not need to perform the same task again. Instead, they exchange links in the calculation space, just like hyperlinks on a webpage. They only store HTTP redirects. This is a major breakthrough in itself, allowing us to maximize the efficiency of the network by inheriting existing powerful optimization infrastructure that enables the Internet to operate.

Today, every Content Delivery Network (CDN)—the machines that allow you to quickly view this video no matter where you are—can now function as an AO-Core state resolver for computational systems. These CDNs can also act as regular nodes in a blockchain network. Another consequence of this design is that we inherit all the infrastructure development work on optimizing Internet data packet transmission since the 1960s and 1970s. All of this, we can use ‘for free’ in AO.

This is in stark contrast to networks like Ethereum and Solana, where adding nodes means adding redundancy and repeating the same program execution. In AO, adding hardware directly enhances the network’s computing power. We believe this is crucial for building a decentralized supercomputer. Frankly, any other way is not feasible.

It is crucial that AO intertwines web requests and responses, forming a chain similar to the blockchain effect, inheriting the verifiability and traceability features of traditional blockchain. This brings blockchain-level verifiability, tracing the entire process chain from data generation to user browser. You should be able to obtain responses from AO and see all the computing links involved, verifying the accuracy of each link one by one.

Since we started building AO, we knew that in order to support people who may want to use it in different ways, we must support various security mechanisms. The security of Bitcoin does not apply when you are just accessing social media data.

Therefore, we are pleased to announce today that the first secure option based on Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) in the AO ecosystem has been officially launched. TEE provides the security assurance required by many common applications with almost no additional cost or performance overhead. To further explain this, I will hand over the microphone to Tom, the Chief Technology Officer of AO.

Trusted Execution Environment

Imagine a CPU with the security of a hardware wallet, which is basically the function of TEE. The computation inside TEE is conducted in such a way that the host cannot see or interfere with it, just as you cannot extract the encryption keys from a hardware wallet even if you hold it in your hand. This enables AO services to operate in these highly secure environments, achieving near-zero-knowledge proof verifiability without the expensive cost and huge performance overhead. Traditional privacy solutions, such as fully homomorphic encryption and zero-knowledge proofs, while powerful, often bring significant performance loss. They may be orders of magnitude slower than local execution, and while mathematically reasonable, they are so complex to implement that errors are easily introduced. This has led to critical issues such as infinite supply in other blockchain networks. In contrast, AO’s TEE-based approach achieves high verifiability with almost no performance cost, even in private computation, and provides security and privacy protection similar to traditional methods without significant performance loss. You will be able to perform private computation through TEE, leveraging the new possibilities offered by AO to help developers build secure, confidential decentralized exchanges, private voting systems with verifiable results, and smart contracts ensuring the confidentiality and security of information (such as Web 2.0 API keys). These features enable developers to create a new generation of privacy-focused applications.

Tokenomics

However, today you are here to understand token economics, so let’s talk about this. The network effect of the launch not only requires technological progress but also the correct use of incentive mechanisms. This is the key to the unique currency system that AO has established. Let’s take a look at its design. As we discussed earlier, AO is completely fair launched. It is a radical new model built upon the greatness of Bitcoin, emphasizing equal access and equal terms.

AO will issue 21 million tokens, released in a four-year cycle. This is similar to Bitcoin, but it uses a smooth half-life curve instead of a step function. To eliminate market impact, this mechanism is also adjusted to emphasize economic growth.

We do not distribute tokens by rewarding energy consumption, but by encouraging community members to store or hold assets within the AO economy to distribute tokens. There is no pre-mined or pre-allocated AO token. We support the development of the network, decentralized teams of core builders, and various growth organizations by providing native returns to assets deposited into the ecosystem, rather than by token sales. Depositors store every penny of their money in an immutable smart contract and can use these assets within AO through bridging. Depositors will receive corresponding AO as returns. It’s a win-win situation. Capital can be used to build a powerful new ecosystem while adhering to the original principles of the crypto world - equal access, equal terms.

This is the new path we believe is being opened up for industry projects. We have rejected numerous investment proposals and resolutely pursued this approach because we believe that a network of this scale needs a fair monetary policy.

AO and Arweave are inseparable, representing two sides of the same coin - permanent storage and permanent CPU. They work together to build the foundation of the permanent network technology stack. But this stack is not just AO and Arweave, it also includes powerful new protocols being built on top of it, from decentralized gateway access (via Ar.io) to the upcoming integration of AO-Core, and the autonomous financial proxies and unlocking virtual worlds in its ecosystem.

Permaweb Index

However, facing so many new tokens, how can one easily own each token and keep track of the permanent network? To be honest, even I sometimes find it difficult to keep up. That’s why, thanks to the technology of Autonomous Finance, we are pleased to introduce the Permaweb index.

The core of the Permanent Network Index is a token called Pi, which represents ownership of all core elements of the Permanent Network Stack - 1/3 Arweave, 1/3 AO, and 1/3 fair launch projects in the ecosystem. This provides a very convenient way to access all elements of the stack, not just a single component. It is the default asset and exchange medium of the ecosystem.

Since the launch of AO tokens last June, we have been working with ecosystem founders to explore how they can use this fair distribution model downstream in the network to drive their new protocols. The process is as follows: any AO depositor or Arweave holder can choose to delegate their AO earnings to a new project in exchange for a portion of the project’s fairly distributed tokens. This allows the project to allocate 100% of the tokens to its users while still providing strong support for development. This maintains the fundamental principles of the crypto world - equal access and equal terms for all participants.

Projects like Apus Network have pioneered this approach in practice, attracting over 7 million USD in staking deposits in just a few weeks. The Permanent Network Index provides a new element to this mechanism, serving as an autonomous and neutral agent that automatically replicates the way participants delegate their earnings to new projects. This offers users who lack the time to delve deeply into emerging projects within the ecosystem a passive index. Similar to how you can already delegate AO earnings to Apus Network or other projects within the ecosystem, users can now choose to delegate earnings to Apus Network, gaining ownership of AO, Arweave, and all upcoming fair launch projects in the entire ecosystem. You can visit ao.arweave.net to select your preferences.

Next, let’s take a deeper look at how the index operates in the background. Because Autonomous Finance has created the technology that drives the system, we are pleased to invite its founder Ivan to provide a detailed explanation.

Autonomous Finance

Thank you, Sam. One of the major innovations of the Perpetual Network Index is its automatic rebalancing system. This on-chain proxy can dynamically manage the index’s holdings, ensuring optimal performance of the index within the Perpetual Network ecosystem and providing good exposure to the most promising new projects.

This agent has two key functions. First, it simulates how AO depositors allocate income. This means that projects supported by AO depositors will also perform well in the Pi index, creating strong synergies in the ecosystem.

Second, the agent will rebalance the holding of Pi according to the market dynamics. Pi is an engine built into the permanent network DNA. It is a decentralized finance (DeFi) tool designed to create a fair and efficient financing environment for early projects on AO. It manages liquidity using a combination of smart algorithms and autonomous agents, ensuring that everyone has access to the most promising assets. Projects can participate in what we call a “fair sale” mechanism, allowing the community to participate together. As Pi is now an autonomous and permissionless index, it promotes collaboration throughout the ecosystem, eliminating many zero-sum game mechanisms commonly found in ecosystems. Pi advocates for healthy growth, rather than letting projects compete for limited resources. Each participant benefits from expanding the permanent network, rather than just extracting from it.

But what if you want more control? Dexi allows you to create your own investment portfolio agent. You can choose from any on-chain protocol to build your own custom index. This agent will automatically rebalance and manage your investment portfolio, ensuring efficient and transparent operation on the chain. Best of all, it takes effect in real-time. Now, go to dexi.defi.ao to view the documentation on the Permanent Network Index for more information. Let’s build the future of the on-chain economy together.

Sam

Thank you Ivan. If you are an existing Arweave token holder or AO depositor, you can now choose how you want to receive your rewards. You can choose AO tokens, Pi tokens, or a combination of any fairly launched projects in the ecosystem. Just visit ao.arweave.net and make your selection. If you haven’t made a selection, existing depositors from other networks will continue to receive AO tokens because they received these tokens directly through bridging, while Arweave holders typically want exposure to the entire ecosystem. Therefore, by default, after March 14th, they will receive Pi tokens. This will simultaneously give them Arweave and AO, as well as a basket of ecosystem assets.

If you prefer to continue receiving only AO tokens, you can visit the official website to make your choice. You can use the minting page on ao.arweave.net to view all available reward options. You can also learn more about each token type and review the full terms and conditions associated with each token. We believe this is a bold new way to drive ecosystem development and has already sparked a wave of fair launches on the network. Apus Network is the first project to take this step. Connor, can you tell us more?

Apus Network

Hello everyone, I am Connor, the community manager of Apus Network. First of all, let me introduce Apus Network to you. We have adopted a revolutionary approach, combining Arweave and AO, using verifiable decentralized AI inference to drive a new era of artificial intelligence, building transparent and fair AI based on deterministic GPU computing and decentralized infrastructure.

The current AI field is mainly dominated by centralized models, which face problems such as data privacy, security, and algorithm transparency. Apus Network directly addresses these challenges by integrating deterministic computation into the AO protocol and using Arweave to store immutable data.

This ensures that the AI model is not only accurate, but also verifiable, preventing manipulation or bias in the output results. We are not just creating a new GPU network, we are building a verifiable decentralized AI with trustless characteristics, capable of scaling, and targeting global developers and users. By using deterministic GPU computing, we ensure that each computation is consistent and reproducible, eliminating common issues in traditional non-deterministic AI models. This represents a paradigm shift in the field of AI, with the potential to disrupt various industries from healthcare to automation systems.

Joining the Permanent Network Index is a game-changer for Apus Network and early adopters. The Permanent Network Index is a catalyst for decentralized application growth, encompassing the entire Permaweb ecosystem, including AO and Arweave. For us, this means that joining allows users to directly contribute to the development of Apus Network through the unique distribution mechanism of the Permanent Network Index. This not only drives our growth but also enables the community to participate in a truly decentralized and transparent environment. It is an innovative new model that promotes direct support for projects within the ecosystem without relying on traditional venture capital.

Our most exciting part is being part of the Permanent Network Index, which allows us to provide users with diversified access to the entire Permanent Network ecosystem. Through the Pi token, users can easily get exposure to AO and new ecosystem projects, simplifying access to decentralized application growth. It is important for everyone to promote the growth of the entire ecosystem, and our partnership with Apus Network is particularly important. The Permanent Network Index also perfectly aligns with our vision of sustainable growth. The revenue-supported development model means that participants are rewarded for supporting the ecosystem, while the main risks are minimized.

This is an exciting opportunity for everyone to participate in early projects because it ensures fair and equal access, just like AO’s fair distribution mechanism. We are very excited to be part of this rapidly growing ecosystem, where the returns from deposit assets help support development, making participation safer and more sustainable. The Permanent Network Index is very consistent with the mission of Apus Network to make decentralized technology transparent, fair, and accessible.

Protocol.Land

At Community Labs, we are building decentralized infrastructure to push the boundaries of possibilities on AO and permanent networks. One of our most ambitious projects is Protocol.Land, which is redefining the way open source code is stored, monetized, and evolved. Despite all the talk about decentralization, most protocols still rely on centralized code management. Bitcoin is decentralized at the network level, but its development is controlled by only a few maintainers. If you don’t believe it, take a look at their contribution guidelines. Git is distributed, but not truly decentralized. This results in only a few entities deciding the protocol’s evolution, while open source contributors, despite their significant impact, rarely receive sustainable compensation for their work.

Protocol.Land is a completely decentralized, immutable, and economically incentivized source code control platform, where developers are fairly rewarded for their contributions and guaranteed through a mechanism of fair forking. The community decides which improvements are important, without centralized approval, without governance bottlenecks, only an organic evolution without permission. Here, the best ideas and the teams behind them will succeed.

AO is the core of Protocol.Land, supporting immutable records on the chain, combined with the best features of Git, making it able to run in a decentralized environment. It provides permanently verifiable submissions, stored on our Arweave, ensuring that code is never lost or censored, and for developers, it allows for tokenizing code repositories, removing the need for grant funding or other forms of support, allowing them to monetize their work. This creates a sustainable model where contributions are economically recognized and fairly rewarded.

Inspired by the AO fair token economics, the fair launch codebase subverts the traditional model by not pre-mining tokens and ensuring early users benefit through bonding curves. Marketers can also benefit while maintaining fair access. Once the project reaches critical mass, it will be transferred to open market trading via Botega, creating a liquid and fair ecosystem for contributors. We will further advance this by enabling deposits to generate assets for revenue for projects. This is not just about rewarding contributions, but enabling open source development to continue long-term and becoming part of a permanent network index. Choosing the fair launch codebase qualifies for the Permanent Network Index, allowing developers to open source and decentralize their codebase while introducing a new sustainable model for themselves and their work. Most importantly, it provides incentives for valuable codebases to continue to evolve even if the original creator exits. This is how truly decentralized protocols are born, expanded, and thrive.

AR.IO

I am Phil, the founder of Ar.io. We have built the world’s first permanent cloud network, connecting users with the permanent network, with unparalleled scalability and flexibility. Today, I am delighted to share with you how Ar.io and AO are disrupting the $600 billion cloud industry, and the significance of our participation in the Permanent Network Index for the future. Until now, traditional cloud storage solutions have remained the only choice, with these solutions managed by centralized control systems, making them vulnerable to threats of deletion, tampering, and censorship.

The Ar.io solution ensures the permanence, transparency, credibility, and tamper resistance of data through decentralized access, creating a world aimed at maintaining information freedom. The Ar.io network is not only for accessing the immutable storage of Arweave, but also a complete cloud service layer that developers can easily use. It can be imagined as an ownership-free, incentive-based AWS that can run anywhere.

It supports permanent data upload, download, indexing, querying, and even domain management, all done through fast, modular, and open-source gateway nodes. This makes it an ideal choice for growing use cases such as decentralized AI, website hosting, and blockchain oracles. The core is AO’s actor-oriented and network-native architecture, which powers smart contracts on Ar.io. This architecture gives them scalability, efficiency, and verifiability, ensuring that every interaction on the Ar.io network is encrypted and seamlessly integrated with the entire network. $ARIO is the utility token driving the Ar.io network.

It powers the protocol incentives, staking, and ArNS, which is the Arweave Naming System. ArNS is a critical innovation that simplifies the use of addresses by converting complex wallet addresses and transaction IDs into human-readable and user-friendly names. They can be accessed through any gateway, replacing traditional domain names, making the permanent network more user-friendly and intuitive, while providing users with a universal identity seamlessly integrated into decentralized applications. Protocol incentives ensure the prosperity of the network economy, rewarding gateway operators for high performance and reliability. Token holders can delegate their $ARIO to operators to earn rewards without directly managing the infrastructure. This alignment between operators and delegates enhances the scalability and resilience of the network.

We are honored that Ar.io is the first to join the Permanent Network Index, marking a new phase in our community’s development. This index simplifies access to the Permanent Network stack, using the Pi token and creating a fair, inclusive support model for builders. At Ar.io, we have always advocated for ecosystem growth and supported projects that expand their impact. The Permanent Network Index amplifies this mission by allowing users to allocate earnings to innovation. This collective growth model ensures that the success of each project contributes to a broader ecosystem, aligning with the core principles we have adhered to from day one.

The Ar.io mainnet is about to launch. If you’re ready to be a part of this future, now is the time. Visit our website ArNS, run gateways, or utilize Ar.io’s tools to pave the way towards a resilient, sovereign, and permanent network together.

BAZAR & UCM

UCM is a decentralized order book that enables trusted exchange of digital content on a permanent network. Bazar is the user interface built on top of the protocol. Unlike traditional content markets, Bazar and UCM are fully decentralized, thanks to Arweave and AO.

With the continuous development of the AO ecosystem, more opportunities are emerging for creators and developers to launch their own projects. UCM provides a financial infrastructure for monetizing digital content without relying on third-party intermediaries. Bazar, as the visual representation of UCM, highlights the unique and composable content traded on AO. The main goal of UCM is to ensure the rights and interests of creators and users are protected and to provide a decentralized and transparent protocol.

UCM’s native token PIXL will be included in the Permanent Network Index. Users can earn PIXL tokens by purchasing them in Bazar, which rewards users for purchasing continuity and is designed to incentivize discovery and interaction with UCM. We are very excited that PIXL can become a part of the Permanent Network Index, which will help pave the way for future fair distribution projects and provide insights for the sustainable development of the ecosystem. It aligns closely with our vision for sustainable growth of the ecosystem, no longer relying on traditional venture capital.

The inclusion of Bazar in the Perpetual Network Index is an exciting opportunity for us to collaborate more closely with the Perpetual Network community, enabling direct support for Bazar’s development through an innovative model. Most of Bazar’s growth has been driven by collaboration with ecosystem partners, and we are eager to continue building these partnerships to drive the development of the Perpetual Network. The Perpetual Network Index is an important step towards this mission. We are grateful to every user who has supported Bazar and UCM over the past year, and we are excited to continue working hard for the future of the network space.

Basejump

3.5 billion people worldwide are involved in the interaction of gaming assets. Nearly half of Gen Z players update their avatars every month, and most people choose to pursue a career in game development rather than becoming doctors, lawyers, or professional athletes. However, the gaming ecosystem is closed. Players cannot own the assets they spend hours unlocking, and creators are not fairly rewarded. Now is the time to change the rules.

Enter Basejump, an open, no-code platform designed to enable anyone to create, discover, and monetize cross-platform compatible game assets and worlds. Powering Basejump is Action, an infinitely scalable, permissionless AI engine built for the next generation of the internet.

Through Action, the entire game and assets can be generated and deployed immediately via a text prompt. It is fast and interoperable, designed to unlock massive creativity. At the core of this ecosystem are hyper objects - interoperable blockchain-connected digital assets. Hyper objects can be avatars, in-game items, social filters, or even entire games. The team behind Basejump and Action has extended some of the most famous gaming, crypto, and consumer technology platforms on earth. We collaborate to create a new game and cultural ecosystem based on collaboration rather than control.

Action is not limited to the virtual world, but also has real-world impact. Each superobject is connected to and protects a real-world rainforest area. In collaboration with the Rainforest Foundation US, Basejump aims to launch the protection of nearly 4 million acres of rainforest in Peru through Action. Built on Arweave and AO supercomputing, Action utilizes decentralized storage and computing power to support infinitely scalable AI-driven games. These technologies come from the underlying new internet, a faster, fairer, and more sustainable internet.

Arweave is not just another blockchain, but a revolution about persistence. It ensures that data, games, assets, and the world remain immutable and can be accessed indefinitely. This means that creators no longer have to worry about losing years of work due to platform shutdown. For Basejump and Action, joining the permanent network index is a recognition of our vision and an important step in creating a decentralized and interoperable future.

This milestone strengthens our commitment to building a fairer Internet using cutting-edge technology, empowering creators, and ensuring that games and digital innovation benefit everyone. Thank you for watching, and we’ll see you in the permanent network.

End

Today is just the beginning of the AO mainnet release series, and I can’t wait to take you deep into all the exciting technical details of this new protocol. There is a lot to discuss.

As always, I am very grateful not only to the builders in the ecosystem, but also to you - the community members, thank you for starting to explore since the release of the AO testnet in February last year.

To be honest, the response is shocking, very excited to see all this. We are exploring the new frontier of the Internet together. I hope you are as excited as I am and can be part of this movement. See you next time!