🔗Part I: A Natural Evolution

The story of the Internet is one of ongoing evolution.

It began in the 1960s and 70s with a decentralized dream. Researchers and early pioneers built networks where computers communicated directly – peer-to-peer. There were no gatekeepers, no central authorities. Just nodes of people and their computers, freely exchanging data. This was the foundation for what we now call the Internet.

But as the Internet grew in the 90s, things started to change. The scrappy network of computers connected in an ad hoc manner started becoming an economic arena. Companies built platforms, services, and hubs. Massive infrastructure emerged to support this growth — hyperscale data centers, global fiber-optic networks, and powerful servers. The world logged on, and the web became commercialized.

This was Web 1.0 – static pages and basic information sharing. Then came Web 2.0 – the age of social media, cloud computing, and user-generated content, which makes up the vast majority of our shared digital lives. Connection became easier, but power was consolidated. Big platforms have taken ownership of our data and control our experiences.

In response, a new idea emerged – Web 3.0. Decentralized technologies like blockchain aimed to give control back to users. But Web3 is still finding its way, grappling with scalability, accessibility, and adoption.

And now, with the introduction of AI, we stand at the dawn of Web 4.0, the next evolution of the Internet. Web 4.0 is an agent-centric model, also sometimes referred to as the symbiotic web. In Web 4.0, we’ll interact both with humans and with virtual AI agents, our digital counterparts. These agents will be able to help with everything, from organizing our days to navigating our online presence. But here’s the catch – if we stay on the current path, these agents and the powerful intelligence systems behind them won’t belong to us. They’ll be owned – just like our data is today – by someone else. Web 4.0 will be no different than what we’ve had in the past.

This isn’t just about data anymore, it’s about intelligence itself. It’s about the future of our species and the planet. The question is: will we seize the opportunity to create something new – a decentralized network of augmented, collective intelligence.

This vision is what we call Web4.

🔗Part II: Our Web4 Vision

Web4. Where humans and AI collaborate to develop a new paradigm aimed at advancing planetary well-being. To our knowledge, we are the world’s first project approaching a fully functional Web4 infrastructure. But what does a Web4 infrastructure look like?

A Web4 infrastructure is built on three essential layers: personal, infrastructure, and physical.

At the heart of Web4 is the individual – you. The personal level involves an AI assistant, your digital counterpart, which manages your digital life and is owned fully by you. An identity layer ensures reputation and authenticity of information, an intelligence layer brings decentralized personal AI systems for smarter collaboration and decision-making. And a transaction layer integrates seamlessly with Web3 systems and beyond for secure and efficient transactions.

Next is the infrastructure layer, the backbone of Web4. This layer re-imagines how the Internet works. The network layer delivers private, scalable communication. The data layer revolutionizes how we store, share, and control data. Serverless compute resources allow applications to run closer to users and their data, improving speed and performance. And the cloud layer bridges today’s Web2 systems with a Web4 future, ensuring everything works together.

Finally, the physical layer brings Web4 into the real world. Routers act as gateways between the old web and the new, creating secure, next-generation communication channels. Nodes power the ecosystem by delivering AI, data, and compute capabilities. Phones become more than just a device, they are your portal into Web4, and capable of building meshed networks for better connectivity. And any modern desktop running Linux, Windows, or MacOS integrates seamlessly into this new ecosystem.

This vision may seem bold, but at ThreeFold, we are well on our way to making it a reality. Over the past decade, we have tackled complex challenges in areas such as data storage, secure overlay networking, and autonomous cloud security. A working proof of concept infrastructure grid is alive today thanks to the ThreeFold developers and a global community.

Today, we are pleased to announce the next step in the roadmap to Web4: Web4 Node, Web4 Phone, and Web4 Router.

🔗Part III: The Journey Begins

Today, we are pleased to announce the next step in the roadmap to Web4: V4 3Node, 3Phone equipped with 3Bot technology, and 3Router.

3Nodes are a familiar concept in the ThreeFold ecosystem, now also entering their fourth generation. Nodes provide capacity to the network, and in exchange generate rewards. Today, in collaboration with ThreeFold community vendors HostServiceNL in Europe and DuckFarmData in North America, we are announcing three different models of the V4 3Node. You can find more info and how to place orders here.

3Phones are a portal into the Web4 world. We are pleased to share that we will be offering several models of 3Phones into the market based on the Volla Phone platform. 3Phones will be equipped with your own decentralized AI agent called 3Bot. You can pre-order a 3Phone here.

And then there are 3Routers. Routers ensure that Web4 devices (phones and desktops running Mycelium) can communicate with one another – peer-to-peer, private, and secure. 3Routers will be available next year, and you can express your interest here.

Now, we need more than technology – we need pioneers, thinkers, and creators to help expand the Web4 ecosystem. Whether you contribute as a developer, a node operator, or via any other role, your participation is crucial. We need to bring millions of nodes, routers, and phones into the ecosystem. This is the next step in our journey.

The future of the Internet is being written today, and Web4 is the next chapter – a chapter where control, collaboration, and innovation belong to everyone. But this isn’t just our journey – it’s yours too. Together, we can build a smarter, more equitable digital world, where AI and humans work side by side to solve our greatest challenges.

Will you join us in realizing this vision?

Today we make these announcements to our incredible community, so you can provide your feedback and be amongst the first to register. In the coming weeks, after the new year, we will begin to spread this vision further. And this is only the beginning of our Web4 journey. Every three months, on 03.03, 06.06, 09.09, and 12.12 of next year we will continue to unveil major aspects of the Web4 vision. Of course there will be plenty of discussion and updates as we go, as well. Stay tuned.

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.

🔗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.

🔗Rising Energy Prices

Energy prices have been on steady rise globally because of increasing costs of energy production, high demand, and the depletion of traditional energy sources such as oil and natural gas as primary drivers. However, the Russian-Western standoff due to the invasion of Ukraine has produced an unprecedented increase in energy prices, especially in Europe.

Some statistics:

• UK - Household energy bills increased by 54% in April 2022, and a further increase of 20% is expected in April 2023.
• USA - Consumers paid 14.3% more for electricity last year on average.
• France - As of February 2023, electricity prices may rise by 15%.

These rising energy costs have a significant impact on the economy, affecting inflation and driving up the cost of goods and services.

🔗Reducing Our Bills & Our Impact on the Environment

Given the increasing cost of energy, it is more important than ever to adopt responsible energy use practices. Simple measures like turning off lights and electronics when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, and properly insulating homes can make a big difference in reducing energy consumption and lowering bills.

By reducing energy waste, individuals and businesses can not only save money, but also help protect the environment and preserve natural resources for future generations. The world’s energy resources are finite, and the increasing demand for energy is putting pressure on the environment. By adopting responsible energy use practices, we can reduce our carbon footprint, decrease our dependence on non-renewable energy sources, and preserve the planet for future generations.

Saving energy is important for the planet as it can have a positive impact on the environment and the economy. Some of the key benefits of energy conservation are:

• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions:
  • By reducing the amount of energy we consume, we also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by power plants, which are a major contributor to climate change.
• Saves natural resources:
  • Conserving energy helps to conserve our limited natural resources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, which are used to generate electricity.
• Lowers energy costs:
  • By using energy more efficiently, we can lower our energy bills, saving money and reducing our overall energy costs.
• Improves energy security:
  • By reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy, we can improve our energy security and reduce the risks associated with energy shortages and price spikes.
• Creates jobs:
  • The development and implementation of energy-efficient technologies and practices can create jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors.

While it has been known for a long time that consuming less energy meant a smaller ecological footprint, most people weren’t very motivated to do so. However, once their wallets started feeling the price increase, people became increasingly aware & careful of their energy consumption. So, in a way, while it is not a great thing for our economies, the rising energy prices are doing a good thing for the planet.

🔗Energy Usage of Nodes

The energy usage of a node in a network depends on various factors such as the type of node, its hardware specifications, and the workload it is handling. Generally, nodes that perform more intensive computations and have more advanced hardware specifications will consume more energy compared to basic nodes.

For example, nodes used in cryptocurrency mining operations are known to consume large amounts of energy due to the intensive computations they perform. On the other hand, simple nodes used for basic network functions such as routing or data storage may consume less energy.

It is important to note that the energy consumption of a node can also be influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, network congestion, and power supply efficiency. By optimizing these factors, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of a node and minimize its environmental impact.

🔗ThreeFold 3Node Servers

ThreeFold is a decentralized internet infrastructure that utilizes a network of nodes (referred to 3Nodes on our grid) to provide computing resources and data storage. Farmers can farm capacity for the ThreeFold Grid by building their own server and hosting Zero-OS on it, or by buying and running a preconfigured device.

In general, a 3Node cluster is expected to consume less energy compared to traditional server clusters, due to its focus on energy efficiency and sustainability. However, the exact energy usage will depend on the hardware specifications of the nodes, the workload they are handling, and the energy-saving measures implemented. It’s important to note that even a machine with nothing running on top of it consumes energy and brings a cost to farmers.

🔗ThreeFold WOL Feature Comes as Part of Our Farmerbot

Wake-on-LAN (WOL) is a feature in computer hardware that allows a network administrator to power on a computer remotely. The feature works by sending a special “magic packet” to the target computer, which contains the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the network adapter. The network adapter is programmed to recognize the magic packet and use it to initiate the power-on process.

Wake-on-LAN is useful for remotely accessing a computer that is turned off, as it allows the computer to be powered on without physically pressing the power button. This feature is commonly used for remote administration and maintenance tasks, as well as for remotely accessing a computer for work or entertainment purposes.

Wake-on-LAN requires specific hardware and software support, including a network adapter that supports the feature, a motherboard that enables the feature in the BIOS, and an operating system that supports WOL. Additionally, the computer must be connected to a network that supports WOL, and the feature must be enabled in the network adapter’s settings.

The community has been asking for an energy-saving solution for quite a while and we had been looking for one. It took some time, as this was not the only topic that needed our team’s attention, and we had obstacles along the route to designing this solution, including limited funding and needful adjustments.

We had been working on a WOL feature for power-saving set up directly on the chain, but it turned out to be a dead end. Instead of an independent WOL feature, our dev team started from scratch with a new idea! We are now very close to delivering a solution: A Farmerbot that uses WOL to switch nodes on and off when needed!

Farmers will be able to define their configuration in an easy markdown format. The Farmerbot will check which nodes can be turned off or not. Farmers will be able to personalize this feature according to their farm’s own needs and preferences.

🔗Conclusion

Saving energy is crucial for the planet and has numerous positive impacts on the environment, economy, and society. By taking steps to conserve energy, we can help to reduce our environmental impact, lower energy costs, improve energy security, and create jobs in the clean energy sector.

Having a power-saving feature for ThreeFold nodes is one of our priorities. Together with the community, we agree that this is a pressing issue we need to solve. Our main incentive is to respect our engagement to be a sustainable network that puts the planet first. Supporting our farmers to get through difficult times financially is an extra one.

As of edition 24, we’ll only share the Weekly via email and TF News, so make sure to subscribe via the respective buttons on the top-right corner of our website.

Community Updates:

• YouTube influencer Tactical Investing featured ThreeFold in a new video and shared the potential of ThreeFold farming with his community of 82.3K subscribers. Watch it here!

• You’re going on vacation but don’t know how to check on your 3Nodes? Read the community-sourced tips and tricks on how to secure and maintain your TF farm while you’re away.

• Did you already check out the new ThreeFold Video Gallery? It’s a collection of all video material available on ThreeFold – from deep dive sessions to DIY tutorials and more!

Technology Developments:

• TF Chain was updated to the latest version of Substrate on devnet. This will facilitate further development and allows us to get code reviews from the Parity team.

• We now have a new peer list available for the Planetary Network which you can use to access the end-to-end encrypted peer-to-peer global overlay network.

• Start testing ThreeFold Grid V3.6.0 live on testnet. Check out the full release with actionable tips for testing here!

ThreeFold Grid:

• Take a look at this actionable guide for deploying workloads on the ThreeFold Grid, shared by all-star farmer Mik, and get started today!

• Migrate your 3Nodes to V3 asap by following the simple steps of the migration process.

• Global Titan shipping continues, so don’t forget to provide all information for your Titan order to ensure quick delivery.

See you next week, ThreeFolders! 🙌

If you’re a community member interested in sharing your story or being featured in ThreeFold content, please reach out!

You can find the previous editions on our blog. For older editions of ThreeFold Weekly (Vol 1-11), go to our forum.