IBM Reimagines Proof-of-Work for Blockchain IoT Devices – CoinDesk
As the tech giant explains in a patent application published Thursday, “one example method of operation may include determining a proof-of-work via a device and using a predefined set of nonce values when determining the proof-of-work, storing the proof-of-work on a blockchain, and broadcasting the proof-of-work as a broadcast message.”
The problem of how to connect Internet of Things (IoT) devices using blockchain has drawn the attention of a number of developers, startups and companies in recent years – indeed, that was the central concept behind IBM’s “ADEPT” proof-of-concept, created in partnership with Samsung and unveiled in early 2015.
An IoT-focused blockchain network couldn’t engage in the kind of competitive “mining” that powers the bitcoin network, largely because a smart toaster or lightbulb can’t harness the power of a warehouse full of specialized computers. At the same time, a large-scale blockchain mine could conceivably have an easier time of attacking a network of IoT devices and, thus, potentially compromise it.