Illia Polosukhin: Near Protocol – From AI to High-Throughput Blockchain. Ep. 529
Channel: Epicenter Podcast
Date: 2024-01-06

What began as an AI company trying to seek solutions in order to pay remote (unbanked) workers, Near AI became, in 2018, Near Protocol. Its sharded design was inspired by modern database architecture and large language model (LLM) training. Near Protocol aimed to solve the scalability trilemma, through a modular approach, combining data availability sharding with stateless validation. By abstracting away archaic blockchain standards, Near basically enabled decentralised full stack development and, in terms of UX, a distributed custodial solution via chain abstraction and account aggregation.

We were joined by Illia Poloshukhin, co-founder of Near Protocol, to discuss Near’s journey, from AI company to high-throughput L1 blockchain, and how LLM training influenced the modular design choice.

Topics discussed in this episode:
0:00 - Introduction, Gnosis ad, Chorus One ad
2:53 - Illia’s background in AI & ML
10:21 - Scaling large language models (LLMs) and the role of attention
15:23 - Stochastic Parrot vs. Understanding spectrum
20:57 - From Near AI to Near Protocol and the role of LLMs
31:48 - How Near abstracted the blockchain away and enabled decentralised full stack development
41:32 - Defining ecosystem standards to improve UX
50:56 - Chain abstraction, account aggregation and interoperability
1:02:28 - Chain threshold signature
1:04:19 - Near’s intent layer
1:07:13 - Near’s modularity, Nightshade sharding & stateless validation
1:20:00 - EigenLayer integration

Links mentioned in this episode: 
- Illia Poloshukhin on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3S7lz2P
- Near Protocol on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3tFpYAR

Sponsors: 
- Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at gnosis.io - 
- Chorus1: Chorus One is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at chorus.one -

This episode is hosted by Felix Lutsch & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/529
#nearprotocol #ethereum