Cardano joins the Linux Foundation’s CCC, advancing data protection and security in blockchain solutions through enclave technology and trusted hardware.
Cardano has announced its incorporation into the Linux Foundation’s Confidential Computing Consortium (CCC), positioning itself alongside tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon in the market of hardware-based data protection standards. This move reinforces its commitment to privacy and security in blockchain solutions, specifically through its sidechain Midnight, developed to protect confidential data using confidential computing technologies and hardware enclaves.
During the Consensus event, Charles Hoskinson, CEO of Input Output (IO), explained that membership in the CCC allows Cardano to align its decentralized identity (DID) stack and zero-knowledge roll-up technologies with emerging trusted hardware specifications, rather than relying solely on cryptographic solutions. Hoskinson emphasized that collaboration with the Linux Foundation puts Midnight in a privileged position to influence enclave standards and security specifications for trusted hardware, including trusted GPUs for data outsourcing in artificial intelligence.
Cardano’s Midnight system combines a Stark execution engine based on a dual-token economic design, which includes the “Kachina” token for governance and “Dust” for metered capacity, with selective disclosure controls based on W3C DID specifications. Hoskinson stressed that separating consensus incentives from stable capacity helps avoid regulatory tensions, enabling payments in various cryptocurrencies and facilitating integration with both traditional markets and blockchain via hardware-based privacy infrastructure.
Eran Barak, CEO of Midnight, stated that data protection requires securing both the data itself and the associated metadata. Confidential computing provides the foundation for AI to responsibly access private data without infringing on rights, through the issuance of cryptographic attestations that verify compliance with regulatory conditions within smart contracts. Sealed enclave technology protects wallet keys, zero-knowledge circuits, and DID records from side-channel attacks, while also facilitating regulatory compliance in digital transactions.
Furthermore, membership in the CCC allows Cardano to participate in the development of hardware specifications and attestation protocols, aligning with trends in the tokenized assets market, which, according to Hoskinson, is currently worth over $10 trillion and projected to reach $100 trillion in the future by including issuers from emerging markets. Midnight aims to interoperate with traditional platforms like the New York Stock Exchange and blockchain liquidity pools, thanks to its hardware-verified privacy infrastructure.
Barak reported that more than 2,000 developers are already working on Midnight trials, which include prototypes of dark pools, pilots of medical records systems, and carbon credit traceability. The full encryption of code and state ensures that information is shared voluntarily only among teams, guaranteeing the confidentiality and security of the development.
Do you know what staking is ? Staking on the blockchain refers to the process where participants lock up a certain amount of cryptocurrency to support the operations and security of a blockchain network. In return, they earn rewards, typically in the form of additional cryptocurrency. Staking is often associated with proof-of-stake (PoS) or similar consensus mechanisms used by many blockchains.
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