ThreeFold

Hi there and welcome to ThreeFold Grid Testing: Part One!

In this blog, we will introduce you to the overall cycle of testing on the TFGrid. Before releasing anything to the mainnet, TF engineers test three different networks: Devnet, Qanet, and Testnet. Testing also continues on the Mainnet even after the release of the updates. Today, we will go through the major steps of this process.

🔗But first – why is testing important?

Testing upgrades as they’re developed ensures we have a stable operation of the TFGrid that is constantly optimal for our community. It lets us see what works well and what still needs fixing. By the time our community gets these upgrades, they’ve been tested many times to make sure they’re top-notch.

When it comes to testing the developments on the ThreeFold Grid, we need to be careful, especially when we’re doing separate tests from the different networks. If we don’t focus on testing the developments independently, testing can become a lot slower and more complicated.

Different networks for testing: We test on 3 different networks before we release anything on Mainnet.

🔗Testing all Networks sequentially

Our journey through these networks follows a well-defined path.

First, verification starts on Devnet with the dev team leading the validation process. Once the development team approves, we release the grid to the Qanet for further examination.

The QA teams conduct iterative test runs within Qanet, leading to a Bug Assessment Meeting to address reported issues. If the release is deemed ready for deployment, it moves to Testnet for an extended observation period.

Following two weeks of rigorous testing on Testnet releases advance to Mainnet once a community vote approves a Grid Enhancement Proposal, indicating readiness for widespread adoption. As the release enters Mainnet, QA teams begin new test iterations to ensure a smooth transition for user accessibility.

Testing is done both manually and automated:

Manual testing: At the core of our testing process is the thorough manual inspection of components using the advanced Testlodge tool.

Automation Testing: We also run Automated scripts on GitHub actions daily; to give us an early indication about the TFGrid.

We will go through these two types of testing further in part two.

🔗Conclusion

The testing journey within the ThreeFold Grid is intentionally and necessarily thorough, a delicate balance between manual precision and automated finesse, all designed to provide a strong and reliable cloud infrastructure for our users. Next time, stay tuned for more updates on how we conduct these tests and how they help us improve the grid’s reliability. Join us as we strive for excellence and continue to advance in the world of decentralized technology.

The ThreeFold community consists of many different roles creating a whole ecosystem that contributes to the growth of the ThreeFold Grid and makes it more reliable and stable. Today, we’re spotlighting the farming community, the backbone of the ThreeFold Grid.

🔗Who are the farmers and what exactly do these farmers do?

Think of a ThreeFold Farmer as a digital pioneer who connects their capacity to the ThreeFold Grid, becoming a cloud service provider. They come from all corners of the globe, driven by a common goal: to contribute to the growth of ThreeFold’s decentralized cloud infrastructure. Currently, we boast approximately 950 farmers running an impressive ±2500 nodes. This translates to a whopping capacity of:

Cores: 64,290
RAM: 434.85 TB
SSD: 8.46 PB
HDD: 20 PB

The farming community keeps the digital gears turning. Whether they purchase a 3Node from the marketplace or build their nodes, they’re providing essential capacity to the ThreeFold Grid. In return for their contributions, they’re rewarded with ThreeFold Tokens (TFTs), the currency of the ThreeFold ecosystem.

Farmers are rewarded based on their uptime—the number of hours, minutes, and seconds their node has been online. This data is meticulously tracked by ThreeFold’s blockchain, TFChain, and used to determine their monthly rewards. However, we’re always evolving and we just passed a vote on the ThreeFold DAO where we decided that, in the future, farmers would be rewarded based on their utilization.

ThreeFold Farmers not only provide capacity but also take the opportunity of ThreeFold being an open-source project to develop scripts and tools like a Python script for minting, a telegram for liquidity pool USDC/TFT, and Telegram channels for their local community where English is not their primary language so that they can get help when they need it, and much more.

The ThreeFold farming community is an integral part of our decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). A farmer’s participation in the DAO discussions and proposals is pivotal as we chart the course for the grid’s evolution, from our current version 3.14 release and beyond. Together, we’re actively building the grid’s future, thanks to our dedicated farmers’ collaborative efforts. Join us, share your ideas, and let’s shape the future of the ThreeFold Grid together.

🔗The Future of the Farming Community

🔗The TF Cooperative

ThreeFold is transitioning the management of TF Grid to a cooperative, empowering all of us to work toward our common goals more effectively. This shift represents a step towards a more collaborative and inclusive future for the TFGrid. As we enter the commercialization phase of the project, a cooperative model also brings a trusted form of decentralized governance and will enable us to bring more reliability to the grid.

The formation of the ThreeFold Cooperative (TF COOP) brings several planned changes for farmers and their interaction with the TFGrid:

Democratic Governance: TF COOP introduces a system where farmers can vote on decisions based on their TFT holdings (1 TFT = 1 vote), giving them a voice in the cooperative’s direction.
Farming Rewards: Farmers will continue to earn rewards based on the quality of their nodes and network uptime. This encourages high standards and benefits both farmers and users.
Compliance: Farmers must follow KYC/AML (Know Your Customer/Anti-Money Laundering) rules for transparency and accountability.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Larger farmers may sign formal contracts with DMCC or TF COOP, providing stability and predictability.
Capacity Resale and Utilization Rewards: TF COOP will resell capacity and distribute profits. Farmers receive 50% of the revenue from their node utilization.
Node Information and Transparency: Farmers can benefit from tracking more node data in the explorer, helping potential users select quality nodes.
Governance Involvement: Farmers, as cooperative members, can impact management and operations, aligning their interests with the TFGrid’s success.

🔗Farming Pool

Farming Pools are a new feature planned for version 4.0 that helps improve trust and quality in our network. Farmers join these pools and agree to standards like uptime and response time. They can set their prices for services like storage and computing power. By staking tokens, farmers commit to these standards and risk losing some of their stakes if they don’t meet their promises. This keeps the network reliable and fair while allowing farmers more control over their services.

These pools can also act as hubs for supporting farmers with training and help them understand if their nodes are working well. Sales of preconfigured hardware is an additional optional function of the pools, while all pools operate as a business that takes a margin on the farming rewards of the farmers belonging to the pool. Beyond support, the added value for the farmers is that pools ensure a level of service and quality that can attract users and bring additional revenues to the farmers, including the potential of active marketing of the pool’s capacity.

🔗Conclusion

The farming community plays a key role in the smooth operation and growth of the ThreeFold Grid. These farmers shape the grid’s future by offering the capacity for a more decentralized digital world. Their work goes beyond earning rewards, as they contribute nodes to a global network and share resources and tools that strengthen the community, which will be showcased in our upcoming blogs. Thanks to their efforts, the grid is thriving and paving the way for a fairer, more connected world.

🔗Get involved:

Join our farmer’s chat to talk with the community

Learn about expanding the grid or adding on top of it.

Stay updated with news and community discussions.

This article was originally published by Emilie Ouwerx, a former member of the ThreeFold team.

Today, technological advancements are accelerating at unprecedented rates and the demand for cloud resources has boomed, with the global cloud services market estimated to reach $2.5tn by 2031. This is due to a range of factors, including accelerating technological adoption in emerging markets, the rapid digitization of business, the soaring volume of data generated by loT devices, the adoption of Al and machine learning technologies, and the increasing reliance on real-time data processing.

🔗The Dilemma of Centralized Cloud Infrastructure

From bustling cities to the remote corners of the globe, the need for reliable, scalable, and secure cloud infrastructure is universal. But as this demand surges, it is increasingly clear that traditional centralized cloud infrastructures (mostly hyperscale data centers located in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific) are no longer sufficient to meet the evolving needs of today’s digital landscape. Not only do data centers face an exponential increase in the amount of computing power needed globally (US data center demand alone is forecasted to surge 10% annually until 2030), but confronted with emerging technologies and workloads, they also face inherent latency issues, bandwidth constraints, scalability challenges, and security risks. These limitations hinder the delivery of seamless and efficient cloud services to users worldwide.

The energy and sustainability challenges of these emerging technologies are demonstrated through the example of ChatGPT-3. Its training alone consumed 1,287 MWh of energy and emitted over 550 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Such energy-intensive processes are not only a concern for the environment but also highlight the strain on traditional centralized cloud infrastructure. We need a more sustainable alternative to support the soaring demand for cloud services.

🔗Meeting Demand at the Edge

Edge computing emerges as a compelling solution to address the challenges facing centralized cloud infrastructure. It involves processing data closer to its source (where it is generated), typically at or near the “edge” of the network, where computing resources are deployed in proximity to the devices or sensors that generate the data. This proximity enables quicker data processing and minimizes latency, addressing the shortcomings of centralized data centers. As more devices and applications require processing and storage capabilities at the edge for improved performance, lower latency, and enhanced reliability, the demand for edge computing solutions continues to grow.

According to Alexandra Rotaru, senior research analyst at the International Data Corporation (IDC), edge computing is “one of the most resilient and attractive areas of investments, growing globally at a double-digit rate over the next five years”, underscoring its growing significance in meeting the evolving computational needs of modern enterprises and service providers. People are clearly looking for alternatives to the centralized data model with Gartner predicting that by 2025, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be processed and created outside of traditional centralized clouds and data centers.

🔗Hello ThreeFold

ThreeFold, a decentralized autonomous cloud infrastructure, does edge computing by definition. Our cloud is built from 3Nodes, hardware deployed by people locally, allowing data to be processed and stored closer to the source. Decentralized cloud infrastructure is a distributed network of computing resources that are not controlled by a single centralized authority. Instead, these resources are spread across a network of geographically dispersed nodes and managed collectively through decentralized protocols and technologies. As the largest and most advanced decentralized autonomous cloud network in the world, ThreeFold is a pivotal player in meeting growing global demand at the edge.

Let’s dive deeper into why decentralized cloud infrastructure and edge computing offer a compelling solution to the challenges posed by centralized cloud infrastructure:

Reduced Latency: By processing data closer to where it is generated, edge computing dramatically reduces latency, ensuring that applications and services respond swiftly to user inputs. Whether it’s streaming high-definition video, conducting real-time financial transactions, facilitating real-time interactions in VR and AR settings or controlling IoT devices, minimizing latency is essential for delivering a seamless user experience without delays.
Increased Energy Efficiency: Processing data closer to the source minimizes the energy expended in transmitting data over long distances. Read more about ThreeFold’s energy efficiency here.
Improved Bandwidth Efficiency: Edge computing optimizes bandwidth usage by minimizing the need to transmit data over long distances to centralized data centers. This conserves network resources, cuts costs and enables more efficient data transfer, particularly in regions with limited connectivity or bandwidth constraints.
Enhanced Scalability: As devices multiply, centralized data centers often face data overload. Edge computing resolves this by distributing processing tasks closer to the data source, which improves scalability and ensures efficient handling of increasing workloads.
Data Privacy and Security: Data is dispersed across a distributed network of nodes rather than being stored within a single centralized location. This distributed approach reduces the risk of data breaches, unauthorized access, and single points of failure, bolstering the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information.
Support for Real-Time Applications and Emerging Workloads: Edge computing enables the seamless deployment of real-time applications and services, including immersive virtual environments (metaverse), AI-driven analytics, and IoT ecosystems.

As technology evolves, traditional centralized clouds reveal significant limitations. Decentralized, edge-centric approaches to cloud computing are essential to address the ever-growing global demand for cloud resources and to adapt to the evolving needs of businesses, consumers and communities worldwide. With ThreeFold at the forefront, the future of cloud computing is decentralized, distributed, and transformative.

Collaborative. Self-organizing. Interconnected. Dynamic. Diverse. Resilient. Sustainable.

These are some of the words that come to mind when thinking about nature and natural systems. For billions of years, nature has been showing us the way. From the human body to rainforests to coral reefs, decentralized systems are all around us – and even inside us – giving examples of the power of collective action, the resilience of distributed networks, and the wisdom inherent in shared decision-making and autonomy.

ThreeFold has always acted in a decentralized way – through the creation of public community chats and forums, by hosting regular community calls, through Grid Enhancement Proposals / DAO votes, and more. Different entities participate in the project – TF9 (previously TF Tech) creates the technology, TF DMCC advocates for and does day-to-day management of the TF Grid, the farmers add capacity, grid users deploy on that capacity, token holders support the project through buying the token, and so on.

As we enter the next phase of ThreeFold, the project will move into an even greater level of decentralization, where each role is clearly defined and benefits the greater whole, while we introduce layers to make us – and our grid – more resilient and reliable.

So, what are these roles? How does it all come alive?

Farmers, or Cloud Service Providers, provide the infrastructural foundation of the ecosystem. Without the farmers, there is no ThreeFold.

Network Bridgers, or Providers, bridge the new and the old. They ensure that ThreeFold can communicate with the existing Internet in a safe and secure manner – and provide bandwidth to our grid.

Farming Pools exist to support farmers in being more effective, to improve uptime, and to deliver a service level to the community. This means more reliability for all.

Node Suppliers build and sell nodes and provide an adequate level of service and support.

Guardians protect the network, keep all relevant services up and running, validating the soundness of the technology being used.

TF Dubai is the original company out of which the ThreeFold project began and is now developing commercial services on top of the grid. TF Dubai is a big sponsor of the grid and will continue to be. It wishes to hand off the day-to-day management to the ThreeFold cooperative, and the digital tools have been set up to do so, including the forum, websites, manuals, and web management tools.

TF9, previously TF Tech, is a Belgium-based company playing a key role in the ecosystem. They have been developing the technology behind the TF Grid and are 100% committed to keeping it open-source. TF9 will be licensing the software to organizations who need commercial support and customizations.
The ThreeFold Cooperative is our governance layer; it gives everyone in the ecosystem a voice and an environment from which to operate.
OurWorld Digital Free Zone, which is in the process of being created in Zanzibar, allows the ecosystem to structure digital assets and some of our future digital projects.

But it does not stop there. More solution and technology providers will create and provide services and open-source technologies that can be used on top of or as part of the grid. DePIN partners are coming, to launch us into that space. And ThreeFold Chapters will come alive to promote and grow the ecosystem organically, with local context, driving maximum reach and adoption of our project.

ThreeFold Ecosystem

It is easy to see that each of these roles plays a crucial element in the larger ThreeFold ecosystem, establishing a type of equilibrium and resilience that can be found in natural systems as well. All participants with their own unique purposes – self-organizing, interconnected, collaborating towards a common goal. Together, let us strive to emulate the harmony of natural systems as we move into this next phase of ThreeFold.

There are many ways to get involved:

Join our main chat, talk to humans
Learn about expanding the grid or deploying on top of it
Buy and hold the token to provide fuel to the ecosystem
Stay tuned for news, updates, and community calls
Take part in the feedback about the next steps for ThreeFold

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” - Albert Einstein

Cloud and Internet service providers form the backbone of our digital experiences. They host data and applications, and facilitate connectivity. Major corporations have long dominated this space. When the Internet started to become mainstream, it was necessary to scale the infrastructure quickly to meet growing demand. Thus, with their vast amounts of resources, big companies were the ones to build this infrastructure and offer services on top.

For decades, this has been the paradigm – big companies offer commercial services, and businesses and individuals pay for those services. Endless features, sleek design, and high levels of customer support make it easy and efficient for the user and make the services worth paying for. However, as “users,” we have had to give up a great deal of control and the sovereignty of our data. Further, most of the investment in infrastructure has been done in already-rich countries, leaving large populations in emerging markets without fair and affordable access to Cloud and Internet services. And the economic benefit of the entire industry has mostly stayed in the hands of the few large corporations operating these systems.

But a new way forward has emerged. Decentralized and edge computing solutions, such as those offered by ThreeFold, aim to empower individuals, strengthen control and promote a more resilient and environmentally-friendly approach to internet and cloud services. Edge computing, a cornerstone of this paradigm shift, involves processing and storing data closer to the source rather than relying on centralized servers. Leveraging edge computing offers many benefits. By processing data closer to its source, it reduces latency for real-time applications, enhances privacy and security, and empowers regions with local data storage. It also optimizes bandwidth, reduces costs, enables seamless scalability, and contributes to environmental sustainability by minimizing energy consumption. Thus, this initiative directly addresses existing limitations and is essential to creating a better infrastructure.

The best part? We can achieve it together.

🔗Be a cloud service provider, not just a cloud consumer.

With ThreeFold’s autonomous technology, anyone can be a cloud service provider without any technical expertise. You can be the Internet, for yourself and for those around you.

Being a cloud service provider is a thrilling opportunity to tap into a market worth trillions of dollars – which today is being shared by a relatively small number of companies. This calls for change – a chance to level the playing field and allow more players to benefit from this lucrative industry. But it’s not just about financial gain. By entering the cloud services space, you become a catalyst for change. You’re not just providing a service; you’re creating connections, bridging gaps, and fostering inclusivity. The people around you benefit, too. Lower costs, improved performance, data sovereignty and greater privacy are just some of the advantages they’ll enjoy with your services.

Finally, by contributing to a more sustainable edge cloud, you’re not only ensuring a better future for yourself, but also for the planet. The adoption of a decentralized autonomous cloud reduces energy consumption and minimizes the environmental impact of data transfer, contributing to global sustainability efforts and a greener future.

Best of all, you’re not just investing in technology - you’re investing in a sustainable, connected and rewarding future, powered by the people, for the people. It’s ultimately good for you, good for the people around you, and good for the planet.

🔗How to become a cloud provider?

ThreeFold enables you to become a cloud service provider by hosting a 3node, bringing local capacity where people need it most and providing compute, storage and AI capabilities. After setting up this node, being verified and sharing capacity on our grid, your contribution is rewarded.

Join the movement and Become a Host!

This article was originally published by Emilie Ouwerx, a former member of the ThreeFold team.

Just as the Earth is made up of layers—from the crust to the core — so too is the Internet, with three key layers: compute & storage, network, and applications. Distinguishing these layers helps us to understand how digital information is currently processed, stored, and accessed across the globe and how ThreeFold technology can transform this model. ThreeFold can be likened to tectonic forces, reshaping the digital landscape by introducing improved ways for these layers to interact. Let’s break down these three layers, their current challenges, and ThreeFold’s approach to each of them.

🔗Compute & Storage

What it is:

Compute is responsible for processing data. It runs programs and applications by leveraging computational resources like CPUs (Central Processing Units) and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). It handles the calculations, logic, and running of software that users depend on. Compute resources are provided by servers located in centralized data centers and cloud platforms.

Storage is about saving and retrieving data. It provides a persistent way to store data so that it can be accessed in the future. This encompasses various types of storage media, such as hard drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), and distributed storage systems that span across multiple locations. Storage ensures that data is kept safe and available for when it’s needed, either for immediate use by applications or for long-term retention.

The problem with the current model:

A key problem with the current compute & storage layer lies in its centralized structure, which creates vulnerabilities, scalability challenges, and performance issues. Relying on centralized data centers and cloud platforms leads to single points of failure, which increases the risk of outages and cyberattacks, thus heightening concerns about service disruption and data security. Scaling this centralized infrastructure to meet increasing demand is costly and not straightforward, while latency issues hinder real-time data processing.

The concentration of the compute & storage within data centers primarily located in Europe, North America, or China raises significant concerns. This geographical bias in Internet infrastructure keeps data, jobs, and economic benefits centralized in certain regions, putting developing areas at a disadvantage and raising concerns around data sovereignty and autonomy.

For example, when two people in Zanzibar undertake a video call, their call data is sent to a data center in Europe via costly fiber optics, wasting resources and diminishing performance. This scenario represents a broader problem affecting various locations and use cases. This inefficient and inequitable system can be changed.

The ThreeFold model:

ThreeFold decentralizes compute & storage by distributing it across a global network of independent nodes rather than concentrating it in large data centers. Autonomous technology allows us to remove most human involvement from the equation. This approach allows anyone, regardless of technical know-how, to contribute compute & storage to the network or utilize it for their own applications. In essence, the compute & storage layer becomes co-owned, allowing anyone to become a cloud provider.

ThreeFold’s autonomous technology efficiently allocates compute resources, increasing performance and reliability while reducing energy consumption. The distributed storage system fragments data and stores it securely across multiple locations, ensuring that data is always recoverable. Data security is also enhanced as there is no central repository for attackers to target. In this decentralized model, individuals’ data remains within their country’s borders, safeguarding their information from being exploited as a commodity by external entities. Storing data closer to the end user reduces latency and improves access speeds.

Let’s revisit the scenario of a video call between two individuals in Zanzibar. With ThreeFold technology, call data will be sent directly between local ThreeFold nodes. These nodes are deployed locally by people and organizations, avoiding centralized ownership by major tech corporations. Instead of relying on data centers thousands of miles away, our decentralized infrastructure significantly shortens the connection distance. The pair in Zanzibar can now communicate peer-to-peer, reducing bandwidth needs by up to 10 times while boosting security.

🔗Network

What it is:

The purpose of the network layer of the Internet is to send data packets from their source (point A) to their destination (point B) across multiple networks. Data packets are small pieces of information which include the data being sent and details like where it’s coming from and where it’s going. They can be thought of as small parcels of data that travel through the Internet. These parcels can take different paths to reach their destination and once they arrive they are put back together to form the original data.

The network operates on protocols like IP (Internet Protocol), which assigns unique addresses to devices on the Internet to ensure data reaches the correct location. The network layer handles the path selection and directs data packets through various routers and networks to reach its destination. This layer enables communication between devices in different networks, ensuring efficient delivery across the vast expanse of the Internet.

The problem with the current model:

The current model of the network layer relies heavily on traditional routing protocols and infrastructure, which often lead to inefficiencies and vulnerabilities. Centralized routing mechanisms may result in suboptimal path selection, leading to longer latency and decreased network performance. As highlighted in the picture below, the path that these data packets take in the current system can be very complex and ineffective. The reliance on a centralized architecture makes the network susceptible to single points of failure and cyberattacks. Traditional networks lack inherent privacy and security measures, leaving data vulnerable to interception and unauthorized access during transmission. The lack of scalability, reliability, and security of the current network model highlights the need for a new approach.

Credit: Lazario Gamio, 2015, The Washington Post

The ThreeFold model:

ThreeFold is disrupting the network layer through its new Mycelium technology, a true peer-to-peer mesh network. It is the only overlay network in the world capable of taking locality into consideration, routing decisions based on proximity between individuals, and selecting the quickest route possible. This addresses the current system’s suboptimal path selection as visualized above. In this new model data packets take the quickest route from point A to point B. Mycelium also ensures end-to-end encryption for all traffic, enhancing data privacy and security. This new ‘always-on’ network offers continuous connectivity and seamless access to resources, even in the face of network disruptions or outages.

Credit: Haseeb Qureshi, 2019, Nakamoto

🔗Applications

What it is:

At the top of the Internet stack are applications — the user-facing software that provides the services and experiences we interact with daily. Applications range from web browsers and social media to more complex systems like blockchain platforms and decentralized apps (dApps). They are the interface through which users interact with the digital world.

The problem with the current model:

The problem with the current model is the lack of control over our digital identities. Currently, users are scattered across numerous platforms, each hosting their data separately. This means that individuals exist in multiple instances online, with their personal information spread across different servers and databases controlled by different applications (visualized in the picture below). This fragmentation not only leads to redundancy but also raises concerns about security, privacy, and control over personal data. Users are forced to trust multiple third-party applications with their sensitive information, often without transparency or control over how their data is used or shared. The centralized nature of these applications exposes users to risks such as data breaches, unauthorized access, and exploitation of personal information for targeted advertising or other purposes. In the existing system, users are at the mercy of application providers, who dictate the terms of service and privacy policies. This asymmetry in power dynamics leaves users with limited options to protect their privacy or exercise control over their data.

The ThreeFold model:

ThreeFold delivers a decentralized and user-centric approach to the application layer, empowering users and developers. By providing access to decentralized compute, storage, and networking resources, ThreeFold facilitates the development and deployment of decentralized applications (dApps) within its ecosystem. Unlike traditional centralized applications, which rely on proprietary infrastructure and are subject to the control of centralized entities, dApps built on ThreeFold operate within a decentralized environment increasing security and privacy. Users have greater autonomy and control over their digital identities and data. Instead of being scattered across numerous platforms with data hosted separately, users have one digital identity. This reduces fragmentation and eliminates the need to trust multiple third-party applications with sensitive information. In the ThreeFold model, applications are designed to serve the users rather than the other way round.

🔗Conclusion

Understanding the Internet’s three layers is key to grasping the current digital landscape and envisioning the transformative potential of ThreeFold’s technology. Just as tectonic forces reshape our physical world, ThreeFold is disrupting the layers of the digital world. By decentralizing compute & storage, ThreeFold eliminates the vulnerabilities in centralized models, fostering efficiency and security. Through Mycelium, ThreeFold is rewriting the rules of connectivity, ensuring resilience and security. At the application layer, ThreeFold empowers users, shifting the paradigm to user empowerment. It’s a new dawn for the Internet, one where connectivity is inclusive, efficient, and equitable, and ThreeFold is leading the charge. Let’s seize the opportunity to shape an Internet that thrives locally, serves globally, and empowers universally.

This article was originally published by Emilie Ouwerx, a former member of the ThreeFold team.

In recent years, we’ve witnessed a transformation in how energy is generated and distributed, marking a shift towards a more sustainable and democratic system. This change has been most notable in the transition from centralized energy production, particularly nuclear power, to decentralized solar energy. The latter empowers individuals and communities to produce their energy locally, an alternative to the traditional approach to power generation.

Similarly, the Internet landscape, typically dominated by massive data centers and centralized servers, is experiencing a shift towards decentralization. These movements share a common ethos to empower individuals and communities.

🔗The Rise of Decentralized Solar Energy

Decentralized solar energy has transformed the landscape of power generation. Unlike the centralized model, where nuclear power plants are often miles away from the end-users and controlled by large corporations or government bodies, solar energy allows for energy production right where it’s needed—at home or within the community.

By installing solar panels on rooftops or creating local solar farms, individuals can capture the sun’s energy directly. This shift not only reduces our dependency on distant power plants and the complex grid systems but also mitigates the risks associated with them.

This localized energy production model enhances sustainability by tapping into an inexhaustible natural resource and encourages a more environmentally conscious and self-sufficient society. It signifies a move away from the centralized, traditional systems of energy production, returning power to the people and prioritizing the planet’s well-being.

🔗ThreeFold: Pioneering a Decentralized Digital Future

Parallel to the energy sector’s evolution, the digital world is also undergoing a transformation, led by innovative platforms like ThreeFold. Just as decentralized solar energy provides an alternative to the centralized power generation model, ThreeFold is reshaping the cloud computing landscape with its autonomous edge cloud.

ThreeFold’s model deviates from the norm, where cloud services are dominated by a few massive data centers. Instead, we depend on our global network of independent nodes set up by individuals and businesses to contribute their own computing and storage resources to the cloud. This approach democratizes access to cloud resources, bolstering data privacy, security, and resilience against potential outages or cyberattacks.

Beyond merely disrupting the existing model, ThreeFold aims to foster a more sustainable, efficient, and user-centric internet. Distributing decentralized infrastructure worldwide reduces the environmental footprint associated with large data centers and promotes fairer internet resource distribution.

Both the shift towards decentralized solar energy and ThreeFold’s revolutionary approach to cloud computing reflect a broader movement towards decentralization. This movement is not just about bringing alternatives to existing systems but about creating a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future for all.

In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping our technological landscape, it is imperative to reconsider how we design and operate data centers. With decades of experience in the Internet and Cloud space and in response to technological evolutions, ThreeFold is proposing a new approach.

Over the last 30 years, data center construction has largely remained static. Contemporary data centers risk becoming obsolete if they continue to neglect evolving needs. As we stand at this technological crossroads, the urgency to adapt is clear: unless we pay close attention, new data centers risk repeating the inefficiencies of their predecessors, leading to a poor utilization of investments and a significant mismatch with current and future requirements.

🔗The Two Main Flaws of Existing Data Centers

🔗Inadequate Power Provision

The advent of AI has dramatically escalated power needs. An AI-centric rack can consume up to 200 kW – a staggering 15 times more than the capacity of data centers built in the conventional model. This exponential increase poses significant challenges, particularly when dissipation exceeds 50 kW per rack. Traditional designs fall short in crucial aspects like cooling and power distribution, with conventional air cooling methods becoming increasingly unviable.

🔗The Shift in Market Needs: Beyond Co-location

The market dynamics have evolved; selling space in a data center, akin to ‘advanced real estate’, is a model that is rapidly losing relevance. The traditional co-location framework, which expects customers to manage their hardware and infrastructure within leased rack space, is becoming antiquated.

In the modern landscape, the role of a data center should transcend mere space rental. The emphasis should be on providing integrated solutions – selling compute, storage, and network capacity, not just rackspace and power. It’s about delivering a comprehensive service that aligns with the complex, ever-evolving needs of businesses immersed in the digital and AI revolution.

🔗The Data Center Landscape Today

Tier 3 and Tier 4 Data Centers are classifications outlined by the Uptime Institute, which provide standards for the design, construction, and operation of data centers. The Institute defines four tiers (1, 2, 3, & 4) to categorize data centers according to their design and infrastructure capabilities. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the top two tiers.

🔗Tier 3

A Tier 3 Data Center is a type of data center facility that is designed to provide a high level of availability and redundancy for IT infrastructure and data storage.

🔗Key Characteristics

Availability: Tier 3 Data Centers typically offer 99.982% availability, translating to around 1.6 hours of downtime per year.
Redundancy: They feature N+1 redundancy for power and cooling systems, providing backup components to ensure continuous operation in case of failure.
Concurrent Maintenance: Tier 3 Data Centers allow for maintenance and repairs to be performed on systems without disrupting operations.
Cost: Tier 3 Data Centers are less expensive to build and operate compared to Tier 4 due to lower redundancy requirements.

It’s important to note that while Tier 3 Data Centers provide a high level of availability and redundancy, they are not as robust as Tier 4 Data Centers, which are designed to provide even higher levels of fault tolerance and uptime. The choice of data center tier depends on the specific needs and risk tolerance of the organization using the facility.

🔗Key Challenges

Limited Uptime: Despite high reliability, Tier 3 Data Centers may still experience noticeable downtime, which could impact critical operations.
Single Points of Failure: While designed for redundancy, Tier 3 Data Centers may still have single points of failure, potentially leading to downtime during component failures.
Scalability: They may have limitations in scalability compared to higher tier data centers, potentially requiring more significant upgrades for expansion.

When a business is considering colocation or hosting in a Tier 3 Data Center, it’s important to assess its power requirements carefully. For operations with high power demands, it might be necessary to discuss with the data center provider the possibilities of allocating additional power resources or choosing a high-density zone within the data center. Data center providers typically measure power in kilowatts (kW) per rack and will have different pricing models based on the power and cooling requirements of the equipment hosted.

🔗Tier 4

A Tier 4 Data Center is the most advanced type of data center tier, as classified by the Uptime Institute. The Tier 4 Data Center is the most robust and less prone to failures. Its design ensures redundancy and reliability.

🔗Key Characteristics

Availability: Tier 4 Data Centers offer the highest level of availability, typically guaranteeing 99.995% uptime or just around 26.3 minutes of downtime per year.
Fault Tolerance: They feature a fault-tolerant design with 2N+1 redundancy for critical systems, ensuring uninterrupted operation even during component failures.
Redundancy: Tier 4 Data Centers have redundant power and cooling distribution paths, eliminating single points of failure.
Security: They often have advanced security measures in place, including biometric access controls and surveillance systems.

🔗Key Challenges

Complexity: Tier 4 Data Centers are more complex and expensive to design, build, and maintain due to their fault-tolerant architecture.
High Cost: The increased redundancy and fault tolerance come with higher costs, making Tier 4 Data Centers more expensive to operate compared to lower tiers.
Overkill for Some Applications: For organizations with less critical operations or smaller budgets, Tier 4 Data Centers may be overkill and not cost-effective.

🔗Choosing Between Tier 3 and Tier 4

Cost vs. Need: Tier 4 Data Centers are significantly more expensive to build and operate. Organizations should assess whether they need the highest level of uptime and fault tolerance that Tier 4 provides.
Business Requirements: Businesses that can afford occasional downtimes for maintenance or those that don’t have extremely critical data operations may find Tier 3 facilities adequately sufficient.
Industry Compliance: Certain industries may require or favor Tier 4 facilities due to regulatory requirements.

In summary, while both Tier 3 and Tier 4 Data Centers are designed to ensure high levels of uptime and reliability, Tier 4 takes this a step further with increased redundancy, fault tolerance, and a correspondingly higher price point.

🔗Introducing the Tier S Data Center

The Tier S model is designed to exceed the capabilities of traditional Tier 3 and 4 Data Centers, addressing the increasing demand for infrastructure that can support emerging IT workloads with greater efficiency and resilience. Where “S” stands for “Self-Healing,” Tier S Data Centers present a new way forward, while remaining backwards compatible.

The Tier S “circular approach” allows us to build the most reliable and redundant data centers in the world. A larger data center (typically 2-10 mW capacity) is extended with at least nine edge data centers. Key features include advanced liquid cooling technology and cybersecurity mechanisms, enhancing the center’s ability to handle complex IT workloads like AI and ML.

Flexibility is central to the design, with each edge data center capable of housing 3-30 pods (subsections), and a versatile main data center. The innovative self-healing technology ensures continuous, secure operations, reducing downtime and maintenance needs. The infrastructure, integrating state-of-the-art hydro coolant distribution units, is designed for high-performance computing, meeting emerging technological demands.

🔗Key Benefits

Superior Reliability: Data storage is highly secure and can’t be lost, would even be safe if quantum computing would be used for hacking.
100% Redundancy: Fully redundant power and network paths. All hardware is equipped with liquid cooling for enhanced reliability and energy-efficiency..
Capacity and Expansion: A main data center with a 2-10 MW capacity, supplemented by at least 9 edge data centers.
Flexible Configuration: Each edge data center can include 3 to 30 pods (more information below), with the main data centers configurable as pod, rack, or container-based.
Disaster Resilience: The circular design, with a main data center and edge data centers, offers robust protection against natural disasters, war, or unrest.
Self-Healing: Equipped with self-healing properties, Tier S Data Centers ensure that workloads can operate safely with minimal need for human intervention.

🔗In Conclusion

The existing data center model is simply insufficient for emerging demands of the IT world. Billions of dollars will be mis-spent if we continue down the existing path. This is why ThreeFold is presenting a new approach. While the Tier S Data Center is still in its conceptual phase, we are actively working with partners on implementing the first of its kind in the near future.

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords; they are essential components for driving innovation and progress. As the tech and IT sectors continue to shape the future, it’s crucial to recognize the importance of fostering diverse perspectives and creating inclusive environments where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute.

At ThreeFold, we are deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within our ecosystem and beyond. We believe that diversity fuels creativity and innovation, bringing us closer to our goal of building a more sustainable and equitable digital future for all. By embracing individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, we enrich our community and empower voices that might otherwise go unheard.

🔗ThreeFold x H.E.R DAO

On Monday, ThreeFold and H.E.R DAO, a women-centered developer DAO with a focus on inclusivity, joined forces to host a meetup in Dar Es Salaam, attracting over 50 students, developers, and tech enthusiasts. Read more about the event.

H.E.R DAO has already established a presence in East Africa, aiming to diversify the blockchain ecosystem and uplift marginalized communities through initiatives like Hackathons and conferences. Their mission focuses on fostering WEB 3 adoption and empowering individuals across the continent. Discover more

This collaboration sent a powerful message that diversity is not just a goal to strive for but a necessity for driving meaningful change in the tech industry. Together, we laid the groundwork for future collaborations and initiatives that will continue to champion diversity, inclusion, and empowerment in the digital space in Tanzania.

Moreover, our commitment to diversity and inclusion extends beyond partnerships; it is embedded in our initiatives like Dunia Yetu. Through Dunia Yetu, we aim to empower women and youth in Tanzania by providing access to education, opportunities, and resources in the tech sector. By fostering diversity and inclusion in Tanzania’s digital ecosystem, we can unlock the untapped potential of women and youth, driving economic growth and innovation.

Each step forward brings us closer to realizing our vision of a more inclusive and equitable technology industry, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of background or identity. Discover our Dunia Yetu initiative and follow our latest developments.