On Polkadot

Subtensor, our network blockchain, is the foundational structure for our network - aligning incentives and streamlining the creation of machine intelligence. As the network has expanded, we have decided to integrate with an external system to support a smooth process of evolution and scaling. We chose to integrate with the Polkadot ecosystem.

Why?

Substrate-based, simple, secure, and cost-efficient

Polkadot uses Substrate, a modular language used on multiple other blockchains. A language like this gives us fine control over our blockchain and consensus mechanism. The fully-shared blockchain ecosystem is also simple to integrate with, low-cost and energy efficient, allowing us more resources to devote to the critical network activity: creating machine intelligence.

Fit for a next-generation governance protocol

Polkadot offers an advanced set of governance tools so that we can automatically deploy fork-less upgrades and custom-create our developing governance system. Developing a governance structure that works efficiently in practice will be an iterative, continuously evolving process, and we need to integrate with a system that promotes this.

Synchronicity of Values

Integrating with Polkadot will be the beginning of what we hope will be a long-term, fruitful partnership, so it helps that they share many of our foundational values. Polkadot was founded on principles of transparency, fairness and decentralization while also displaying a commitment to axiomatic evolution and change. We are in alignment with all of this.

This next step is as crucial as it is daunting. We will be losing a lot of control over the system and opening it up to the world. But that is where this was always going.