How Can AI and Blockchain Change the Way We Compute?
Have you ever asked how data processing might shift from a single system to a coordinated network of specialized units? A group of developers is set to explore this possibility. Flare, in collaboration with Google Cloud, is hosting a hackathon at UC Berkeley to test a method where heavy AI tasks are processed offchain and their results are recorded onchain.
The Story Behind the Event
Picture a system that takes compute-heavy tasks away from the blockchain. Instead of overloading the blockchain with intense operations, these tasks are moved to a secure environment known as a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). Once the tasks are completed in the TEE, the outcomes are logged on the blockchain through cryptographic proofs.
This method addresses a key challenge: the computational limits of onchain processing. By separating the tasks, the system aims to maintain the blockchain’s record of events while using dedicated hardware to handle the heavy lifting. This approach is the central focus of the hackathon.
Flare announced an AI hackathon at UC Berkeley in collaboration with Google Cloud. The event runs from March 7 to 9 at California Memorial Stadium. Participants will combine offchain compute methods with blockchain verification protocols using Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).
Event Details
- Prize Pool: $100,000 total
- In-Person: $60,000
- Virtual: $40,000
- Tracks:
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Social AI Agents
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RAG Knowledge Systems
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DeFAI
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Consensus Learning
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Developers will work with tools from Google Cloud’s Confidential Computing and Flare’s blockchain data protocols. The goal is to shift intensive compute tasks offchain and link the results onchain with cryptographic proofs.
Technical Approach
The hackathon focuses on using TEEs to process AI tasks outside the blockchain. Compute tasks will run offchain and the outcomes will be recorded onchain with cryptographic proofs. This method addresses the limits of onchain processing and enables new techniques for handling data and computation in blockchain environments.
Industry Collaboration
Flare works with Blockchain at Berkeley and Google Cloud for this event. Blockchain at Berkeley will engage blockchain developers, students, and related groups. Google Cloud supplies time series data to Flare’s Time Series Oracle, a role it has maintained since January 2024.
Format and Participation
The event takes place in two formats:
- On Campus: At California Memorial Stadium, UC Berkeley.
- Online: Hosted on DoraHacks.
Registration opens in early February. Teams are invited to develop systems that integrate offchain AI compute with onchain verification.
Looking Ahead
Flare plans further work in offchain compute and blockchain integration as part of its 2025 roadmap. The hackathon offers a platform to test methods that process data offchain and verify results onchain. Teams will create applications that combine offchain compute with blockchain records.
Interested participants may apply at the event website.
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Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR
