HPB - The next generation of Blockchain.

What is HPB? (High Performance Blockchain)

HPB (High Performance Blockchain) is a public chain based on hardware acceleration chip and original software acceleration system, combing hardware and software, they are aiming to solve the issue that alot of blockchains are currently experience, performance when under load. Perhaps the biggest obstical standing in the way of Blockchain and mass adoption currently is it's ability to sufficiently process transactions quickly and efficiently when under extreme load.

A perfect example of this was when the CryptoKitties DAPP launched on the Ethereum blockchain. With so many users jumping onto the game as it's popularity surged, the Ethereum blockchain slowed down to a grind, and the prices of transactions shot-up to around the $20 mark, and that was only with a few thousands people using the DAPP. (source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42237162)

What this made apparent is that most of the current blockchains are not prepared for mass adoption and millions of users accessing and using the chain at the same time. This is where HPB aims to completely revolutionise the industry. By combining their software with their own hardware, they're aiming to create a blockchain that will be able to handle millions of transactions per second.

The HPB foundation recently announced and launched their specifically tailored hardware at a recent event, called the 'Blockchain Offload Engine', this is essentially the worlds first ever version of open source hardware. The Engine works by deploying a chip-level acceleration engine that uses the CPU's serial processing to integrate with the blockchain and speed up the confirmation and transaction process.

Essentially the software and hardware that the project have developed will work together in tandem to provide a level of processing speed that has yet to be seen on any blockchain project, ensuring that HPB (High Performance Blockchain) will be a truly scalable solution that will be able to cater to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of concurrent users at once.

The HPB Node Plan

Much like with it's joint hardware and software solution, HPB also aim to revolutionise the way in which nodes will work on their chain. Unlike other blockchain projects that use a single election or application process to pick their nodes, the HPB node plan will feature a 'hybrid election & invitation mechanism'. the election is split into three separate parts. 70% of the nodes will be determined by community voting. The way it works is that the 'voter' can be either any individual or a group of individuals that form an organisation, as long as theyhold HPB tokens, they will be entitled to one vote on a node. The next 24% of the nodes on the HPB blockchain are made up using the 'invitation mechanism', these are nodes that will be issues by the project to enterprices, Academic research institutions, developers, and NPOs, allowing a broad variety of different institutes to hold a node on the chain.
Finally, the last 6% of the total nodes will be held, and maintained by the HPB foundation themselves. These three processes of selecting the node holders ensures that they will be a fair distribution of nodes around the globes, and reduces the defects that would have resulted from an election-only mechanism.

The nodes are currently scheduled to be rolled out into two distinct phases. The first phase will consist of 150 BOE-Nodes, and will mark the 'go-live' of the MainNet. 31 of the 150 nodes will be held by the foundation. The second phase will see an extension of the current nodes, with an additional 150 being added to bring it to a total of 300 BOE-Nodes running on the platform, 61 of which will be HP-Nodes. The second phase is planned to commence one year after phase one.

The HPB team recently held a Q&A for the community around the nodes, how you can become a node member, and various other queries, below are some of the best questions and answers i found in the article, however if you're interested in reading the rest of the Q&A, you can find it here: https://medium.com/@hpbglobal/community-q-a-06-30-2018-43b44c43a8b0

As part of the Node Application process, how many HPB are required? How and when are the number of coins held by the top 200 eligible applicants determined?
A: There is no minimum for the number of HPB required, as the ranking is based on the competition within the community. The ranking will be published and updated on the HPB website while the Node Application is open. Any applicant passing the server and bandwidth test, will be ranked according to the amount of HPB held.

Does node deployment require extensive technical knowledge? Is a Linux system required?
A: As with any technology, there will be a certain threshold to overcome, however, HPB will provide a manual that will allow anybody with intermediate computer operations knowledge to easily get started and deploy. At minimum it is required to be able to install, debug and command Linux.

May nodes have any downtime? What are the implications if there is a problem with the node or it is offine?
A: The algorithm automatically selects HP-Nodes every 10 minutes. If a node is down, it still has the opportunity to participate in the next round of HP-Node elections. Hence, any problems with the node will not immediately have an adverse effect. However, if the downtime is too long, it will affect the node’s contribution to transaction forwarding, etc. This will decrease the likelihood of becoming a HP-Node as part of the algorithm. Considering the need to synchronize blocks in real-time and keep the network stable, HP-Nodes are required to be always online.

How can you avoid fraud during the application node performance test?
A: Any application and information submitted as part of the Node Application and performance testing are subject to HPB’s terms an conditions. We have manual KYC and vetting procedures in place to ensure fairness and security. Any fraudulent activity will be exempt from any HPB rewards or further participation.

if you would like to keep in touch with the HPB team, you can check them out at their various social media channels below. For quick responses to queries, I highly suggest joining the telegram channel, the team are very active and answer requests promptly.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HPB_Global

Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/hpb_global

Medim: https://medium.com/@hpbglobal

Github: https://github.com/hpb-project/

Telegram: https://t.me/hpbglobal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HPBGlobal/