AO, a new protocol built on Arweave’s permanent data storage layer, will launch on June 13, according to a statement released on May 30.

Arweave co-founder Sam Williams described the project as “Bitcoin, but a supercomputer on Arweave.”

Tokenomics

AO will have a token that trades under the ticker AO. The project will have a 100% fair launch without pre-mining, pre-sales, or preferential access. Interested community members can mint their tokens by bridging to AO, holding Arweave’s native AR token, or building.

This approach ensures the community has complete access to the token. The total supply will be 21 million coins, similar to Bitcoin, with a four-year halving cycle.

A non-profit organization would run the project in accordance with a mechanism that focuses on the community. However, individuals in the US and sanctioned jurisdictions cannot mint the tokens.

AO’s features

AO was developed to address the need for a scalable blockchain solution. Its modular architecture enhances scalability, enabling high transaction volumes and parallel processing.

The platform introduces AOS, an operating system that supports the Lua programming language and facilitates various applications. AO’s advanced data storage capabilities can handle massive datasets, such as those used in AI modeling and large language models (LLMs).

Additionally, AO is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine and other blockchain protocols through WebAssembly for smart contracts.

DeFi researcher Ignas highlighted AO’s aim to combine blockchain’s reliability and security with the performance of high-end commercial servers like Amazon AWS. He added:

“One standout feature of AO is its parallel processing ability, allowing numerous processes to run simultaneously without affecting each other. It’s like a smartphone that never slows down, regardless of how many apps are running.”

Mentioned in this article