Jul 28, 2021
aitos.io unveils BoAT-V demo running on StarFive Starlight RISC-V Microcomputer
aitos.io unveils RISC-V open source BoAT-V blockchain application framework running on StarFive Starlight RISC-V Microcomputer during 2021 RISC-V China Summit
During the June 22nd-24th RISC-V China Summit 2021, Leo Lin, CEO of aitos.io officially announced the launch of open-source RISC-V architecture version — — BoAT-V blockchain application framework. Leo highlighted the new “BoAT-V” was specifically created to boost interest from both the RISC-V community and the industries using the RISC-V technology. It supports easy blockchain service access capabilities on RISC-V based chipsets. The 1st Starlight Technology Forum concurrently held to RISC-V China Summit was hosted by StarFive who is a premier member of the RISC-V International, and domestic RISC-V ecosystem promoter and leader. Gary Xu, CTO of aitos.io, together with several other industry experts, conducted on-site exchanges on hot topic technologies such as the implementation of blockchain applications with Starlight EVB.
June 24, 2021 - ShanghaiTech University
StarFive, a premier member of the RISC-V International and also the domestic RISC-V ecosystem promoter and leader, hosted the 1st Starlight Technology Forum concurrently held to RISC-V China Summit. Experts from StarFive Technology’s product market, technical support, and software and hardware teams introduced to the participants the hardware specifications, external interfaces, boot & PERF applications, the Jinghong 7100 SoC on the Starlight board, and the U7 kernel. Gary Xu was also invited to evangelize how aitos.io’s BoAT blockchain application framework empowers Starlight RISC-V Microcomputer to access blockchain services and demonstrated the demo on site.
Starlight RISC-V Microcomputer to access the blockchain services in Four Steps
Step #1: Deploy the blockchain node
Download the PlatONE (blockchain node software) code from Github community, compile, configure and start the node.
Step #2: Deploy smart contracts
PlatONE blockchain supports Web Assembly (WASM) virtual machine and uses C++ language to write the smart contract. In the demo, we use default smart contract. The contract contains two functions: setName() and getName(). First, use setName() to write a string to the smart contract; then use getName() to read the previously written string. Here, the difference between the blockchain and the traditional database is mainly reflected in two aspects:
Firstly, each “write” operation executed by the contract will be permanently recorded as a transaction message on the ledger tracking the state transition and the final world state. In this way, the process can be truthfully recorded and traced back in the future.
Secondly, the smart contract itself is actually a piece of code. This code is written as transaction content on the ledger in the blockchain. Once the smart contract is successfully deployed onto the blockchain, everyone can believe that this code is tamper-resistant to external hacker breaches, because the code itself as well as the input given to the code will strictly conform to the consensus algorithm.
Step #3: Configure BoAT blockchain application framework
First: Configure which blockchain types to enable;
Second: Configure which target hardware platforms to support. For StarLight RISC-V Microcomputer, choose "Linux-default".
Finally: Set some blockchain specific parameters, including the private key of the IoT device, URL of the blockchain node, and the address of the smart contract on the blockchain.
Step #4: Display the final results of the smart contract
In the demo case, setName and getName functions were invoked. The IoT terminal first wrote the string “123456” to the blockchain by calling the setName function, and then called getName to read the previously recorded “123456” string. This (see above diagram text) is where the smart contract assembles a long byte stream of transaction messages, including the contract address, the function to be called, function parameters and the signature. After the message is assembled, it is sent to the chain via HTTP and a response message is received. There is a transaction voucher in the response message, also called “transaction hash”. The blockchain is an asynchronous system, so after submitting the transaction for on-chain access and obtaining a transaction hash, the submitter must wait patiently for the blockchain network to complete the data verification and consensus function. In practice, due to the blockchain transaction performance limitation, transactions take some time to be packed into a block, hence, a user typically relies on a transaction hash to make a query onto the blockchain. When the feedback renders a “Success” status, it indicated that the transaction has been successfully written to the blockchain ledger, and the data was successfully uploaded from the IoT terminal side.
Please click the video link below of the relevant live demo. https://youtu.be/zTZ6bdIGRT0
About aitos.io
aitos.io is a technology start-up focusing on the integrated innovation of IoT and Blockchain. By combining its own rich resources in the IoT industry, aitos.io has raised the standard for an open-sourced blockchain application framework BoAT (Blockchain of AI Things) with delivered via IoT chipset and module to enable IoT devices quickly implement trusted data on-chain and access the blockchain services. At the end of 2019, aitos.io and nine mainstream cellular wireless module manufacturers jointly initiated the Blockchain IoT Module alliance, and successively released their own brands of BoAT blockchain module products. This resulted in hundreds of millions of IoT devices equipped with the capability of blockchain services access as a trusted entry of IoT+Blockchain application. aitos.io’s vision is to leverage an alliance of global IoT vendors to empower them to tap the value of applications and data.
At the beginning of the project launch in the end of 2018, aitos.io received angel investment from the IoT industry expert group and strategic investment from Wanxiang Blockchain. In December 2018, aitos.io was awarded membership into ARM Accelerator Camp. In June 2019, aitos.io emerged as the founding member of China Unicom IoT and Wanxiang Blockchain IoT+Blockchain Joint Innovation Center. In November, aitos.io became a empowerment partner of Microsoft’s AI and IoT Lab . In August 2020, aitos.io transitioned into Tencent’s Blockchain Accelerator program as the first member. In February 2021, aitos.io joined RISC-V International as strategic member and initiated to form new Blockchain SIG (special interest group). In April, aitos.io initiated 1st China technical requirements standards for trusted blockchain access of IoT terminals.
