Byzantine Consensus
Byzantine consensus is a method for achieving consensus or agreement within a distributed network, even if some of the nodes in the network are unreliable or malicious. The method is named after the Byzantine Generals’ Problem, a hypothetical scenario in which a group of generals must coordinate their attack on a city. In the problem, some of the generals may be traitors who will attempt to sabotage the attack. In the context of distributed networks, the problem refers to the challenge of achieving consensus among nodes that may be compromised or malfunctioning. Byzantine consensus algorithms aim to ensure that the network as a whole arrives at a consistent state, even if individual nodes are acting in bad faith or providing unreliable information. This is achieved through sophisticated cryptographic techniques and mathematical algorithms. By using Byzantine consensus, distributed networks can achieve a high level of trust and resilience, making them well-suited for applications such as blockchain technology.
[IEEE TC'22] CloudChain: A Cloud Blockchain Using Shared Memory Consensus and RDMA
Cross-Chain and Off-Chain
Cross-chain refers to the process of interoperability and information transfer between different blockchain networks. In the blockchain ecosystem, each blockchain network typically has its native assets and on-chain functionalities, such as smart contracts, tokens, governance, etc. Therefore, cross-chain interaction is required between different blockchain networks to achieve a wider range of application scenarios and more efficient asset circulation.
Off-chain refers to activities or transactions that occur outside of the blockchain network or outside of the decentralized consensus mechanism. In the context of blockchain, "off-chain" typically refers to data or value transfers that take place outside of the native protocol of the blockchain and are settled later on the blockchain through some form of validation or verification. The main research areas are currently focused on privacy protection of cross-chain and off-chain, and extending off-chain functionalities.
[IEEE TC'23] Cross-Channel: Scalable Off-Chain Channels Supporting Fair and Atomic Cross-Chain Operations
[IEEE IPCCC'22] zk-PCN: A Privacy-Preserving Payment Channel Network Using zk-SNARKs
Modular Blockchain and Meta Computing
Modular blockchain is a type of blockchain architecture that aims to improve scalability, flexibility, and interoperability by partitioning different components of a blockchain into modules or layers. In a modularized blockchain, each module is designed to perform a specific function such as consensus, data storage, or smart contract execution, and can be developed and updated independently.
Meta computing is a new computing paradigm that aims to utilize all available computing resources hooked on the Internet, provide efficient, fault-tolerant, and personalized services with strong security and privacy guarantee, and virtualize the Internet as a giant computer, that is, ``Network-as-a-Computer, NaaC'', or ``Meta Computer'' for short, for any task or any person on-demand.
[IEEE Network'23] Meta Computing
[IEEE JSAC'23] An Adaptive and Modular Blockchain Enabled Architecture for a Decentralized Metaverse
[Elsevier HCC'22] A Trustless Architecture of Blockchain-enabled Metaverse
Private LLM Inference
Private LLMs prioritize user privacy and data protection through techniques that minimize user data exposure in training and inference. They utilize privacy-enhancing technologies like federated learning and differential privacy, enabling decentralized training without direct access to user data and adding noise for increased data anonymity. Additionally, encryption and secure computation protocols are often implemented to safeguard user data throughout the entire process, ensuring sensitive information remains protected.