In-Depth Research on AO (ao Computer)

Beginner4/25/2025, 7:02:55 AM
As an important project within the Arweave ecosystem, AO (Ao Computer) brings new possibilities to the Web3 space through its innovative decentralized computing architecture and modular design. It not only addresses the performance and scalability issues of traditional decentralized computing systems but also provides developers with a flexible and scalable computing platform.

Introduction

As blockchain and Web3 technologies rapidly evolve, decentralized computing is gradually becoming a core force driving industry transformation. However, existing decentralized computing systems are often constrained by performance bottlenecks, limited scalability, and a lack of flexibility for developers, making it difficult to meet the growing demands of complex application scenarios. Against this backdrop, AO (Ao Computer) introduces new possibilities to the decentralized computing space with its unique technical architecture and innovative concepts.

In the following article, we will dive into AO’s technical features, application scenarios, ecosystem, and market performance, analyzing its potential and challenges in the decentralized computing field. Through this research, we aim to provide readers with a comprehensive perspective and reveal how AO is laying the foundation for the future of Web3 through technological innovation.

What is AO (ao Computer)?

AO (Ao Computer) is an innovative decentralized computing network built on the Arweave data storage platform, designed to provide developers and users with a highly scalable, flexible, and trust-minimized computing environment. Through its unique architectural design and technical innovations, AO redefines the possibilities of decentralized computing, introducing a new paradigm for the development and execution of Web3 applications.

At its core, AO provides a unified computing environment that enables multiple parallel processes to coexist and coordinate through an open messaging layer. Unlike traditional decentralized computing systems, AO does not impose strict limitations on the size and form of computational operations, while maintaining verifiability and trust-minimized features across the network. This design enables AO to support complex and diverse computational tasks without compromising decentralization.

AO’s architecture not only breaks through the limitations of traditional decentralized computing but also provides Web3 developers with a brand-new toolkit. It supports everything from simple smart contracts to complex distributed applications, offering robust infrastructure for innovation in areas such as decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and distributed storage and computation.

With AO, developers can build truly decentralized applications that offer greater transparency and trust, while enabling seamless global collaboration and scalability. This innovative computing model is laying the foundation for the future of Web3 and driving decentralized computing to new heights.


Source: https://5z7leszqicjtb6bjtij34ipnwjcwk3owtp7szjirboxmwudpd2tq.arweave.net/7n6ySzBAkzD4KZoTviHtskVlbdab_yylEQuuy1BvHqc

Project Background

Team Members

AO was initially proposed by the Arweave project team and developed collaboratively by multiple groups. The core team comprises professionals with in-depth technical expertise in blockchain and distributed computing. Key members include:

  • Sam | Founder of Arweave
    Sam is the founder of Arweave. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he and his team discussed the idea of creating a neutral decentralized computing log system via Zoom meetings. Based on this vision, he developed the foundational smart contract system SmartWeave, laying the groundwork for the emergence of AO. Sam’s innovations and contributions in blockchain technology have made him a pioneer in decentralized storage and computing.
  • Outprog | Founder of EverVision
    Outprog is the founder of EverVision and proposed the Storage-Compute Paradigm (SCP), which extends the concept of compute logs to all types of data logs. Through a series of articles, he established the theoretical foundation for understanding AO and actively advanced its technical development.

Additionally, most members of the AO team come from top-tier tech companies and research institutions. They possess deep domain knowledge and extensive hands-on experience. This diversity and expertise have enabled AO to achieve breakthroughs across technology, product, and market development, laying a solid foundation for the future of decentralized computing.

Funding Overview

AO is proposed and supported by the Arweave team. The funding history of Arweave is as follows:

  • Seed Round: In September 2017, Arweave completed a $900,000 presale round. In May 2018, it secured a $675,000 seed round with investors including 1kx, JD Capital, and Arrington XRP Capital.
  • Public Sale (ICO): In June 2018, Arweave held an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and raised $8.6 million.
  • Institutional Round: In November 2019, Arweave raised $5 million in an institutional round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from Multicoin Capital and Union Square Ventures.
  • Follow-up Funding: On March 6, 2020, Arweave secured an additional $8.3 million. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Union Square Ventures increased their investments, with Coinbase Ventures joining as a new investor.
  • Latest Round: In 2023, Arweave raised another $8.3 million, with key investors including a16z, Coinbase Ventures, and Multicoin Capital.

Additionally, on July 13, 2021, Arweave completed a $525,000 pre-seed round.


Source: Gate.io

Core Technical Features of AO

AO introduces a series of innovative core technical features. These not only redefine the possibilities of decentralized computing but also provide developers with a flexible and scalable platform for computing. In the following sections, we will explore AO’s core technical features in depth, including its decentralized computing environment, modular architecture, trust-minimized design, and technical implementation details. Together, these features form AO’s core competitive edge, distinguishing it within the decentralized computing space and offering powerful infrastructure support for innovation in Web3 applications.


Source: https://5z7leszqicjtb6bjtij34ipnwjcwk3owtp7szjirboxmwudpd2tq.arweave.net/7n6ySzBAkzD4KZoTviHtskVlbdab_yylEQuuy1BvHqc

Decentralized Computing Environment

AO (ao Computer) is designed to build a decentralized computing environment capable of supporting an arbitrary number of parallel processes coordinated through an open messaging layer. This design breaks the limitations of traditional decentralized computing systems, providing strong support for complex and diverse computational tasks. AO aims to create a globally shared Single System Image (SSI), enabling users and developers to collaborate and scale computing workloads in a decentralized setting seamlessly.

AO allows any number of parallel processes to run within the decentralized environment, with each process able to operate independently and handle different tasks. This capability is enabled through the following key features:

  • Independent Processes: Each process operates independently within the AO network, with its own state and computing environment. This isolation ensures process separation, preventing resource contention and state conflicts.
  • Resource Utilization: AO’s design enables each process to fully utilize available computing resources without interference. This efficient resource use allows AO to support large-scale parallel computing workloads.
  • Scalability: By supporting an arbitrary number of parallel processes, AO achieves horizontal scalability (scaling out), capable of handling growing computational demands. This makes AO suitable for high-throughput and complex application scenarios.

Modular Architecture

AO adopts a modular design, allowing users to select the most suitable virtual machine, decentralized sequencing mechanism, messaging security guarantees, and payment options tailored to their specific needs. This flexibility enables AO to accommodate a wide range of computing demands while supporting easy integration with existing smart contract platforms. The modular architecture not only enhances scalability and adaptability but also gives developers significant freedom to customize their computing environment to fit specific requirements.

AO’s modular architecture enables existing smart contract platforms (such as Ethereum and Solana) to connect to the network as individual processes and collaborate seamlessly with others. This design offers the following key features:

  • Seamless Integration: Existing smart contract platforms can easily connect to the AO network and operate as single processes. This allows developers to quickly migrate existing applications using familiar tools and resources.
  • Cross-Platform Collaboration: Smart contracts from different platforms can communicate and collaborate within the AO network. For example, an Ethereum smart contract can interact with a Solana contract through AO’s messaging layer, enabling integrated cross-platform functionality.
  • Resource Sharing: AO’s modular design allows different platforms to share computing and storage resources, improving resource efficiency and reducing development and operational costs.

AO offers high flexibility, allowing users to choose the most suitable virtual machine, decentralized sequencing mechanism, messaging security guarantees, and payment options tailored to their specific needs. Key features include:

  • Virtual Machine Selection: AO supports a variety of virtual machines (such as Lua, WASM, etc.), enabling users to select the most appropriate VM based on their requirements. This flexibility allows AO to support a wide range of computing tasks, from simple smart contracts to complex distributed applications.
  • Decentralized Sequencing Mechanism: AO enables users to choose different decentralized sequencing mechanisms, such as consensus-based sequencing or market-based sequencing. This flexibility ensures that sequencing needs are met for different application scenarios.
  • Messaging Security Guarantees: AO offers multiple messaging security mechanisms, allowing users to select different levels of security based on their needs. For example, users can choose to ensure message security and reliability through multi-party signatures or zero-knowledge proofs.
  • Payment Options: AO supports various payment methods, including cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. This flexibility lowers the entry barriers, enabling more users to participate in AO network’s computation and collaboration.

Trust Minimization

AO ensures the transparency and trustworthiness of the computing process through a verifiable network architecture, where all messages and computation results are ultimately settled on Arweave’s decentralized data layer. This design not only enhances the system’s credibility but also ensures the transparency and immutability of the computing process, providing users with a high level of trust assurance.

AO guarantees network verifiability, allowing users to be confident in the correctness of computation results without relying on any centralized entities. This verifiability is achieved through the following mechanisms:

  • Storage-based Consensus Paradigm (SCP): AO reaches consensus by storing message logs on Arweave. Arweave, as a persistent and immutable ledger, ensures the permanent availability of interaction logs. This mechanism allows any network participant to deduce the current state by computing the message logs, without needing consensus on the state itself.
  • Holographic State Mechanism: The state of AO is “holographically” embedded in the message logs hosted by Arweave. Although consensus is not reached on the state itself, each participant can independently compute the state based on the data stored in Arweave. This mechanism not only improves scalability but also ensures the transparency and trustworthiness of the computation.
  • Cryptographic Signatures and Verification: All messages and computation results are verified using cryptographic signatures to ensure data integrity and the trustworthiness of their sources. Users can verify the correctness of any message or computation result without relying on centralized entities.

All messages follow a unified format and are ultimately settled on Arweave’s decentralized data layer, ensuring the transparency and trustworthiness of the computation process. Key features include:

  • Unified Message Format: All messages adhere to the standardized ANS-104 protocol, ensuring compatibility and transference across different processes. This unified format allows messages to be seamlessly transmitted and verified globally.
  • Final Settlement on Arweave: All messages and computation results are ultimately settled on Arweave’s decentralized data layer. Arweave’s immutability and permanent storage features ensure the persistence and immutability of messages and computation results.
  • Data Availability: Arweave’s storage mechanism ensures the long-term availability of all messages and computation results. Even if some nodes go offline or fail, users can still access and verify data through Arweave.

AO Technology Implementation

AO’s technical implementation comprises multiple components and tools that collectively form a powerful decentralized computing platform. Each component plays a crucial role in the AO network, ensuring the efficient execution of computing tasks, reliable message delivery, and overall network stability.

  • Large-Scale Data Processing: When processing massive amounts of data, AO’s flexible data storage mechanism allows AI agents to dynamically adjust storage strategies to optimize resource usage and processing efficiency. For example, in financial data analysis, AI agents can adjust storage and processing strategies based on real-time data traffic, ensuring the efficient operation of the system.
  • Distributed Computing Tasks: AO’s function triggers support efficient event-driven processing, making them ideal for distributed computing tasks that require rapid responses. For example, in real-time monitoring systems, AI agents can quickly respond to event triggers, promptly processing and analyzing data to ensure system timeliness and reliability.


Source: https://5z7leszqicjtb6bjtij34ipnwjcwk3owtp7szjirboxmwudpd2tq.arweave.net/7n6ySzBAkzD4KZoTviHtskVlbdab_yylEQuuy1BvHqc

AO CLI (Command Line Interface)

  • Function: AO CLI is a command-line tool designed for initializing, building, running, and deploying AO contracts. It provides developers with a convenient interface to manage the entire lifecycle of AO contracts.
  • Use Case: Developers can use AO CLI to create new AO contracts, build contract code, run contracts for testing, and finally deploy them to the AO network.
  • Technical Details: AO CLI supports various commands, such as init (initialize contract), build (build contract), run (run contract), and publish (deploy contract). It also offers extensive options to configure the virtual machine, resource limits, and other parameters of the contract.

AO JS Loader (JavaScript Loader)

  • Function: AO JS Loader is a JavaScript loader that enables calling AO contracts within a JavaScript environment. It allows seamless integration of AO contracts into web applications.
  • Use Case: Developers can use AO JS Loader in the browser or Node.js environment to load and invoke AO contracts, enabling interaction with the AO network.
  • Technical Details: AO JS Loader provides a simple API to send messages, receive responses, and manage contract states. It also supports asynchronous operations, ensuring responsiveness and smoothness in web applications.

AO Compute Unit (CU)

  • Function: AO Compute Unit (CU) is a node that implements AO compute units and is responsible for processing the state of computing tasks. CU handles messages by executing contract code and returns the computation results.
  • Use Case: CU is used to execute computing tasks within AO contracts and supports parallel process execution. Users can request CU to compute the state of specific messages and return results.
  • Technical Details: CU supports multiple virtual machines (such as Lua, WASM) and can provide state proofs through cryptographic signatures. CUs form a decentralized market, competing to offer computation services, ensuring efficient and economical use of computational resources.

AO Scheduler Unit (SU)

  • Function: AO Scheduler Unit (SU) implements the scheduling unit in AO, responsible for sorting and uploading messages. SU ensures that messages are processed in order and uploaded to the Arweave decentralized data layer.
  • Function: AO Scheduler Unit (SU) implements the scheduling unit in AO, responsible for sorting and uploading messages. SU ensures that messages are processed in order and uploaded to the Arweave decentralized data layer.
  • Technical Details: CU supports multiple virtual machines (such as Lua, WASM) and can provide state proofs through cryptographic signatures. CUs form a decentralized market, competing to offer computation services, ensuring efficient and economical use of computational resources.

AO Messenger Unit (MU)

  • Function: AO Messenger Unit (MU) implements the AO messaging unit and is responsible for inter-process message passing. MU ensures reliable message transmission between different processes and coordinates the processing of messages.
  • Use Case: MU is used to receive messages from clients, route them to the designated SU, and retrieve results from CU. MU also supports message subscription and push, ensuring real-time communication between processes.
  • Technical Details: MU verifies the source and integrity of messages through cryptographic signatures, ensuring messages are delivered in order. MU also supports persistent message storage, ensuring long-term availability of messages.

AO Advantages and Competitive Analysis

AO (ao Computer) brings new possibilities to the decentralized computing field through its innovative decentralized computing environment, modular architecture, and trust-minimized design. Its technical features not only solve the performance and scalability issues of existing systems but also provide developers with a flexible and scalable computing platform. This section will explore AO’s technical advantages in detail and compare it with other similar projects.

AO Advantages

  • Infinite Scalability
    Parallel Processes: AO allows an unlimited number of parallel processes to run in a decentralized environment, with each process independently handling different computing tasks. This design breaks through the single-thread limitation of traditional blockchains, enabling true horizontal scaling.
    Modular Architecture: AO’s modular design lets users select different virtual machines, schedulers, and messaging mechanisms to support diverse computing needs. This flexibility allows AO to adapt to various application scenarios, from simple smart contracts to complex distributed systems.
  • Efficient Messaging
    Open Messaging Layer: AO’s open messaging layer enables efficient inter-process collaboration through standardized message formats and transmission mechanisms. This mechanism is akin to hyperlinks on the internet, linking independent processes into a unified computing network.
    Single System Image (SSI): Through the open messaging layer, AO forms a globally shared “single system image,” allowing users to seamlessly interact with any process, regardless of its physical distribution.
  • Trust Minimization
    Verifiability: AO achieves consensus by storing message logs on Arweave, ensuring the permanent availability and immutability of interaction logs. Users can independently verify the correctness of computation results without relying on centralized entities.
    Holographic State Mechanism: AO’s state is “holographically” implied in the message logs hosted on Arweave, allowing any network participant to derive the current state by computing the message logs. This increases the transparency and trustworthiness of the system.

Comparison of AO, Ethereum, Solana, and Akash

AO’s technical advantages lie in its infinite scalability, efficient messaging, trust-minimized design, and economic efficiency. These features give AO a significant competitive edge in the decentralized computing space. Compared to other similar projects, AO not only solves the performance and scalability challenges of current systems but also provides developers with a flexible and extensible computing platform. As the AO ecosystem continues to grow, its potential in Web3 applications will be further unlocked, laying a solid foundation for the future of decentralized computing.

Ecosystem Development

Milestones

  • 2020: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Arweave founder Sam discussed the idea of creating a neutral decentralized computing log system with the team via Zoom, forming the initial concept for AO.
  • 2021: The Forward Research team began development on AO in the summer of 2021, moving the project from concept to execution.
  • 2022: AO’s architecture was successfully validated, the testnet was launched, and developers began experimenting and building on it.
  • February 2024: Arweave officially launched the AO protocol, detailing its technical foundations and functionality.
  • June 2024: The AO tokenomics were formally introduced, marking a new phase in the project’s economic model and ecosystem development.
  • February 9, 2025: The AO token and AO mainnet were officially launched simultaneously.
  • 2025 and beyond: As AO technology matures and the ecosystem expands, AO is expected to gain broader adoption and market recognition in the decentralized computing space.

Current Development Status


Source: https://ao.arweave.dev/

AO (ao Computer) has achieved remarkable progress in ecosystem development, demonstrating strong potential and rapid growth in the decentralized computing space. The AO network currently has 5,737 users, indicating growing user interest and a steadily expanding user base. The total number of messages processed by the AO network has reached an impressive 2,212,215,766, reflecting both high network activity and widespread adoption across various use cases. In addition, AO supports 419,439 active processes, showcasing its ability to handle parallel computation and complex applications. The fair launch deposits have reached $223,229,092, underscoring the strong market confidence and participation in the AO project. These accomplishments mark significant milestones for AO and lay a solid foundation for future expansion and adoption.

At the same time, AO (ao Computer) is actively forging partnerships across sectors, accelerating the adoption and development of decentralized computing technology through collaboration with a diverse range of projects and platforms.


Source: https://x.com/usewander/status/1907129686679052423

Tokenomics

AO (ao Computer) has designed its tokenomics to foster a fair, decentralized, and sustainable ecosystem, bringing new momentum to the decentralized computing space. Below is a detailed summary of AO’s tokenomics:


Source: https://www.gate.io/zh/price/ao-ao

  • AO tokens follow Bitcoin’s economic model with a 100% fair launch—no presale or pre-allocation—ensuring fairness and decentralization. The total supply is capped at 21 million, mirroring Bitcoin to maintain scarcity. While AO also undergoes halving every four years, the process is smoother: distribution gradually decreases on a monthly basis. Tokens are distributed every 5 minutes, with 1.425% of the remaining supply released each month.


Source: @permadao/ao-%E4%BB%A3%E5%B8%81%E7%BB%8F%E6%B5%8E%E5%AD%A6%E5%8E%9F%E7%90%86-4dcd0aadc0fe"">https://medium.com/@permadao/ao-%E4%BB%A3%E5%B8%81%E7%BB%8F%E6%B5%8E%E5%AD%A6%E5%8E%9F%E7%90%86-4dcd0aadc0fe

  • During the initial phase of AO token issuance (February 27 to June 17, 2024), 100% of newly minted AO tokens were allocated to Arweave (AR) holders, providing additional incentives for early AR supporters. Starting from June 18, 2024, newly minted AO tokens are split: 33.3% continue to go to AR holders, while 66.6% are used to incentivize asset bridging into the AO ecosystem. Users can participate in this phase by depositing stETH (with more asset types to be supported in the future). AO tokens began circulating on February 9, 2025, after approximately 15% of the total supply (around 3.15 million AO tokens) had been minted.


Source: Gate.io

  • AO tokens are used to secure message transmission within the network, ensuring both security and reliability. The token incentive mechanism promotes economic growth and enhances the base layer’s security, while improving overall liquidity within the ecosystem. Use cases for the token include paying for message transmission fees, participating in network governance, and incentivizing developers and users to contribute to ecosystem development.
  • AO’s economic model features an innovative ecosystem funding distribution mechanism, where users continuously earn AO token rewards by bridging qualified assets via the AO funding bridge. This mechanism lies at the core of AO’s economic flywheel. Assets participating in the AO ecosystem must meet specific criteria: sufficient market liquidity (typically from major public chains) and the ability to generate yield (such as stETH).

Risk Analysis

Technical Risks

AO’s technical architecture is complex, involving multiple components and tools such as AO CLI, AO JS Loader, AO Compute Unit (CU), AO Scheduler Unit (SU), and AO Messenger Unit (MU). This complexity may introduce technical challenges during development and deployment, potentially affecting project progress and stability. For instance, AO’s messaging system must guarantee reliable message delivery and ordered execution, which could be difficult to maintain under high load.

As user and process counts grow, the AO network may face congestion issues, which could impact the efficiency and reliability of message delivery. A comparable case is Ethereum, where heavy congestion leads to increased transaction confirmation times, negatively impacting user experience. AO will need to optimize its network architecture and introduce more efficient message processing methods to address such challenges.

Additionally, the blockchain and decentralized computing sectors evolve rapidly, and AO must continuously adapt to new technologies and standards to remain competitive. For example, as WebAssembly (WASM) technology progresses, AO must ensure its virtual machine is compatible with the latest WASM standards to attract developers and projects.

Market Risks

AO faces strong competition from high-performance chains like Solana and Sei, as well as from decentralized compute protocols like Akash. These projects may pose threats to market share and technical capabilities. Solana, for example, draws developers and users with its high throughput and low latency, while Akash holds a key position in decentralized computing. AO must highlight its unique technical strengths—such as its modular architecture and trust-minimized design—to differentiate itself.

On the demand side, the market for decentralized computing might fall short of expectations, or AO’s technical features may not fully align with actual needs. For instance, in the decentralized storage market, Arweave competes with Filecoin, which dominates in both storage capacity and market acceptance.

AO must continuously refine its technical direction and use cases based on market research and user feedback. Furthermore, the volatility of the crypto market could significantly impact the value of AO tokens. Sharp price swings in assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum introduce uncertainty for investors. AO needs a stable token economic model and diversified application scenarios to mitigate this risk.

Notably, AO’s token price has dropped over 55% since its launch. This decline may reflect the market’s reassessment of the gap between the project’s execution and investor expectations. If AO fails to deliver on its technology, ecosystem development, or marketing efforts, confidence in the project may diminish. For instance, unresolved network congestion or slower-than-expected ecosystem growth could prompt investors to question the project’s long-term viability, contributing to further price declines.


Source: https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/ao-computer

Regulatory Risks

Global regulatory policies on cryptocurrency and blockchain remain inconsistent and are subject to change. AO must ensure its operations comply with local regulations to avoid legal risks. For example, China’s 2021 ban on crypto trading and mining forced many projects and companies to exit the market.

AO needs to monitor global regulatory developments and implement corresponding compliance strategies closely. As regulations tighten, compliance costs may rise. AO may have to allocate more resources to meet these requirements, increasing operational complexity and expenses. For instance, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) enforces strict transparency and consumer protection standards, which could elevate AO’s compliance burden.

Additionally, some countries may impose restrictive policies on decentralized computing and crypto assets, potentially limiting AO’s market reach and user base. India’s 2022 imposition of a high capital gains tax on crypto transactions, for example, dampened market activity. To mitigate this risk, AO should pursue a diversified market strategy and focus on expanding in more regulation-friendly regions.

Future Outlook

AO (ao Computer), with its innovative decentralized computing architecture and flexible tokenomics design, demonstrates strong potential for broad application across various sectors. Here are several key directions for AO’s future development:

The integration of AO and Arweave provides a robust infrastructure for decentralized AI. As the barriers to training large models lower and compute resources become more scarce, AO’s distributed parallel computing capabilities will gain increasing importance. Arweave’s permanent storage ensures long-term data preservation and immutability, offering vital support for the realization of the Web3 value internet.

In the Web3.0 era, data assets will become the most crucial resources on the internet. Arweave’s permanent storage enables the preservation and protection of valuable data assets from tampering. AO’s modular architecture and trust-minimized design provide a solid foundation for data ownership and circulation. This infrastructure supports not only intellectual property management and data asset trading but also lifecycle management for AI models.

AO enables developers to build trust-minimized financial services, such as decentralized algorithmic funds. Users can deposit tokens without needing to trust a fund manager, as all operations are executed automatically on-chain. These financial services enhance transparency and reduce trust costs, providing users with greater security.

By leveraging Oracle services like 0rbit, AO can process and verify massive amounts of internet data without relying on centralized Oracle providers. This trust-minimized access to encrypted HTTPS data across the internet offers developers powerful data-handling capabilities.

In summary, AO has a promising future. With its decentralized computing architecture and adaptable tokenomics, AO is positioned to achieve long-term success in decentralized computing. Whether in decentralized AI, financial services, data processing, or Web3 applications, AO shows tremendous potential. As technology advances and the ecosystem expands, AO is poised to drive transformative change across the Web3 value internet.

Conclusion

AO (ao Computer), as a key project within the Arweave ecosystem, brings new possibilities to the Web3 space through its innovative decentralized computing architecture and modular design. It not only solves performance and scalability issues faced by traditional decentralized computing systems but also provides developers with a flexible and scalable computing platform.

AO’s core technical features include a decentralized computing environment, modular architecture, and trust-minimized design. These features enable AO to support an unlimited number of parallel processes and facilitate efficient collaboration through an open messaging layer. Additionally, AO’s economic model ensures long-term network sustainability through a fair token distribution mechanism and dynamic pricing strategies.

Despite facing certain risks in technology, market, and regulation, AO’s broad application prospects in decentralized AI, financial services, data processing, and Web3 applications, along with its expanding ecosystem, provide a solid foundation for its future development. With continuous technological advancements and ecosystem enhancements, AO is poised to achieve long-term success in decentralized computing and bring profound transformations to the Web3 value internet.

Author: Alawn
Translator: Viper
Reviewer(s): Pow、KOWEI、Elisa
Translation Reviewer(s): Ashley、Joyce
* The information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by Gate.io.
* This article may not be reproduced, transmitted or copied without referencing Gate.io. Contravention is an infringement of Copyright Act and may be subject to legal action.

In-Depth Research on AO (ao Computer)

Beginner4/25/2025, 7:02:55 AM
As an important project within the Arweave ecosystem, AO (Ao Computer) brings new possibilities to the Web3 space through its innovative decentralized computing architecture and modular design. It not only addresses the performance and scalability issues of traditional decentralized computing systems but also provides developers with a flexible and scalable computing platform.

Introduction

As blockchain and Web3 technologies rapidly evolve, decentralized computing is gradually becoming a core force driving industry transformation. However, existing decentralized computing systems are often constrained by performance bottlenecks, limited scalability, and a lack of flexibility for developers, making it difficult to meet the growing demands of complex application scenarios. Against this backdrop, AO (Ao Computer) introduces new possibilities to the decentralized computing space with its unique technical architecture and innovative concepts.

In the following article, we will dive into AO’s technical features, application scenarios, ecosystem, and market performance, analyzing its potential and challenges in the decentralized computing field. Through this research, we aim to provide readers with a comprehensive perspective and reveal how AO is laying the foundation for the future of Web3 through technological innovation.

What is AO (ao Computer)?

AO (Ao Computer) is an innovative decentralized computing network built on the Arweave data storage platform, designed to provide developers and users with a highly scalable, flexible, and trust-minimized computing environment. Through its unique architectural design and technical innovations, AO redefines the possibilities of decentralized computing, introducing a new paradigm for the development and execution of Web3 applications.

At its core, AO provides a unified computing environment that enables multiple parallel processes to coexist and coordinate through an open messaging layer. Unlike traditional decentralized computing systems, AO does not impose strict limitations on the size and form of computational operations, while maintaining verifiability and trust-minimized features across the network. This design enables AO to support complex and diverse computational tasks without compromising decentralization.

AO’s architecture not only breaks through the limitations of traditional decentralized computing but also provides Web3 developers with a brand-new toolkit. It supports everything from simple smart contracts to complex distributed applications, offering robust infrastructure for innovation in areas such as decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and distributed storage and computation.

With AO, developers can build truly decentralized applications that offer greater transparency and trust, while enabling seamless global collaboration and scalability. This innovative computing model is laying the foundation for the future of Web3 and driving decentralized computing to new heights.


Source: https://5z7leszqicjtb6bjtij34ipnwjcwk3owtp7szjirboxmwudpd2tq.arweave.net/7n6ySzBAkzD4KZoTviHtskVlbdab_yylEQuuy1BvHqc

Project Background

Team Members

AO was initially proposed by the Arweave project team and developed collaboratively by multiple groups. The core team comprises professionals with in-depth technical expertise in blockchain and distributed computing. Key members include:

  • Sam | Founder of Arweave
    Sam is the founder of Arweave. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he and his team discussed the idea of creating a neutral decentralized computing log system via Zoom meetings. Based on this vision, he developed the foundational smart contract system SmartWeave, laying the groundwork for the emergence of AO. Sam’s innovations and contributions in blockchain technology have made him a pioneer in decentralized storage and computing.
  • Outprog | Founder of EverVision
    Outprog is the founder of EverVision and proposed the Storage-Compute Paradigm (SCP), which extends the concept of compute logs to all types of data logs. Through a series of articles, he established the theoretical foundation for understanding AO and actively advanced its technical development.

Additionally, most members of the AO team come from top-tier tech companies and research institutions. They possess deep domain knowledge and extensive hands-on experience. This diversity and expertise have enabled AO to achieve breakthroughs across technology, product, and market development, laying a solid foundation for the future of decentralized computing.

Funding Overview

AO is proposed and supported by the Arweave team. The funding history of Arweave is as follows:

  • Seed Round: In September 2017, Arweave completed a $900,000 presale round. In May 2018, it secured a $675,000 seed round with investors including 1kx, JD Capital, and Arrington XRP Capital.
  • Public Sale (ICO): In June 2018, Arweave held an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and raised $8.6 million.
  • Institutional Round: In November 2019, Arweave raised $5 million in an institutional round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from Multicoin Capital and Union Square Ventures.
  • Follow-up Funding: On March 6, 2020, Arweave secured an additional $8.3 million. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Union Square Ventures increased their investments, with Coinbase Ventures joining as a new investor.
  • Latest Round: In 2023, Arweave raised another $8.3 million, with key investors including a16z, Coinbase Ventures, and Multicoin Capital.

Additionally, on July 13, 2021, Arweave completed a $525,000 pre-seed round.


Source: Gate.io

Core Technical Features of AO

AO introduces a series of innovative core technical features. These not only redefine the possibilities of decentralized computing but also provide developers with a flexible and scalable platform for computing. In the following sections, we will explore AO’s core technical features in depth, including its decentralized computing environment, modular architecture, trust-minimized design, and technical implementation details. Together, these features form AO’s core competitive edge, distinguishing it within the decentralized computing space and offering powerful infrastructure support for innovation in Web3 applications.


Source: https://5z7leszqicjtb6bjtij34ipnwjcwk3owtp7szjirboxmwudpd2tq.arweave.net/7n6ySzBAkzD4KZoTviHtskVlbdab_yylEQuuy1BvHqc

Decentralized Computing Environment

AO (ao Computer) is designed to build a decentralized computing environment capable of supporting an arbitrary number of parallel processes coordinated through an open messaging layer. This design breaks the limitations of traditional decentralized computing systems, providing strong support for complex and diverse computational tasks. AO aims to create a globally shared Single System Image (SSI), enabling users and developers to collaborate and scale computing workloads in a decentralized setting seamlessly.

AO allows any number of parallel processes to run within the decentralized environment, with each process able to operate independently and handle different tasks. This capability is enabled through the following key features:

  • Independent Processes: Each process operates independently within the AO network, with its own state and computing environment. This isolation ensures process separation, preventing resource contention and state conflicts.
  • Resource Utilization: AO’s design enables each process to fully utilize available computing resources without interference. This efficient resource use allows AO to support large-scale parallel computing workloads.
  • Scalability: By supporting an arbitrary number of parallel processes, AO achieves horizontal scalability (scaling out), capable of handling growing computational demands. This makes AO suitable for high-throughput and complex application scenarios.

Modular Architecture

AO adopts a modular design, allowing users to select the most suitable virtual machine, decentralized sequencing mechanism, messaging security guarantees, and payment options tailored to their specific needs. This flexibility enables AO to accommodate a wide range of computing demands while supporting easy integration with existing smart contract platforms. The modular architecture not only enhances scalability and adaptability but also gives developers significant freedom to customize their computing environment to fit specific requirements.

AO’s modular architecture enables existing smart contract platforms (such as Ethereum and Solana) to connect to the network as individual processes and collaborate seamlessly with others. This design offers the following key features:

  • Seamless Integration: Existing smart contract platforms can easily connect to the AO network and operate as single processes. This allows developers to quickly migrate existing applications using familiar tools and resources.
  • Cross-Platform Collaboration: Smart contracts from different platforms can communicate and collaborate within the AO network. For example, an Ethereum smart contract can interact with a Solana contract through AO’s messaging layer, enabling integrated cross-platform functionality.
  • Resource Sharing: AO’s modular design allows different platforms to share computing and storage resources, improving resource efficiency and reducing development and operational costs.

AO offers high flexibility, allowing users to choose the most suitable virtual machine, decentralized sequencing mechanism, messaging security guarantees, and payment options tailored to their specific needs. Key features include:

  • Virtual Machine Selection: AO supports a variety of virtual machines (such as Lua, WASM, etc.), enabling users to select the most appropriate VM based on their requirements. This flexibility allows AO to support a wide range of computing tasks, from simple smart contracts to complex distributed applications.
  • Decentralized Sequencing Mechanism: AO enables users to choose different decentralized sequencing mechanisms, such as consensus-based sequencing or market-based sequencing. This flexibility ensures that sequencing needs are met for different application scenarios.
  • Messaging Security Guarantees: AO offers multiple messaging security mechanisms, allowing users to select different levels of security based on their needs. For example, users can choose to ensure message security and reliability through multi-party signatures or zero-knowledge proofs.
  • Payment Options: AO supports various payment methods, including cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. This flexibility lowers the entry barriers, enabling more users to participate in AO network’s computation and collaboration.

Trust Minimization

AO ensures the transparency and trustworthiness of the computing process through a verifiable network architecture, where all messages and computation results are ultimately settled on Arweave’s decentralized data layer. This design not only enhances the system’s credibility but also ensures the transparency and immutability of the computing process, providing users with a high level of trust assurance.

AO guarantees network verifiability, allowing users to be confident in the correctness of computation results without relying on any centralized entities. This verifiability is achieved through the following mechanisms:

  • Storage-based Consensus Paradigm (SCP): AO reaches consensus by storing message logs on Arweave. Arweave, as a persistent and immutable ledger, ensures the permanent availability of interaction logs. This mechanism allows any network participant to deduce the current state by computing the message logs, without needing consensus on the state itself.
  • Holographic State Mechanism: The state of AO is “holographically” embedded in the message logs hosted by Arweave. Although consensus is not reached on the state itself, each participant can independently compute the state based on the data stored in Arweave. This mechanism not only improves scalability but also ensures the transparency and trustworthiness of the computation.
  • Cryptographic Signatures and Verification: All messages and computation results are verified using cryptographic signatures to ensure data integrity and the trustworthiness of their sources. Users can verify the correctness of any message or computation result without relying on centralized entities.

All messages follow a unified format and are ultimately settled on Arweave’s decentralized data layer, ensuring the transparency and trustworthiness of the computation process. Key features include:

  • Unified Message Format: All messages adhere to the standardized ANS-104 protocol, ensuring compatibility and transference across different processes. This unified format allows messages to be seamlessly transmitted and verified globally.
  • Final Settlement on Arweave: All messages and computation results are ultimately settled on Arweave’s decentralized data layer. Arweave’s immutability and permanent storage features ensure the persistence and immutability of messages and computation results.
  • Data Availability: Arweave’s storage mechanism ensures the long-term availability of all messages and computation results. Even if some nodes go offline or fail, users can still access and verify data through Arweave.

AO Technology Implementation

AO’s technical implementation comprises multiple components and tools that collectively form a powerful decentralized computing platform. Each component plays a crucial role in the AO network, ensuring the efficient execution of computing tasks, reliable message delivery, and overall network stability.

  • Large-Scale Data Processing: When processing massive amounts of data, AO’s flexible data storage mechanism allows AI agents to dynamically adjust storage strategies to optimize resource usage and processing efficiency. For example, in financial data analysis, AI agents can adjust storage and processing strategies based on real-time data traffic, ensuring the efficient operation of the system.
  • Distributed Computing Tasks: AO’s function triggers support efficient event-driven processing, making them ideal for distributed computing tasks that require rapid responses. For example, in real-time monitoring systems, AI agents can quickly respond to event triggers, promptly processing and analyzing data to ensure system timeliness and reliability.


Source: https://5z7leszqicjtb6bjtij34ipnwjcwk3owtp7szjirboxmwudpd2tq.arweave.net/7n6ySzBAkzD4KZoTviHtskVlbdab_yylEQuuy1BvHqc

AO CLI (Command Line Interface)

  • Function: AO CLI is a command-line tool designed for initializing, building, running, and deploying AO contracts. It provides developers with a convenient interface to manage the entire lifecycle of AO contracts.
  • Use Case: Developers can use AO CLI to create new AO contracts, build contract code, run contracts for testing, and finally deploy them to the AO network.
  • Technical Details: AO CLI supports various commands, such as init (initialize contract), build (build contract), run (run contract), and publish (deploy contract). It also offers extensive options to configure the virtual machine, resource limits, and other parameters of the contract.

AO JS Loader (JavaScript Loader)

  • Function: AO JS Loader is a JavaScript loader that enables calling AO contracts within a JavaScript environment. It allows seamless integration of AO contracts into web applications.
  • Use Case: Developers can use AO JS Loader in the browser or Node.js environment to load and invoke AO contracts, enabling interaction with the AO network.
  • Technical Details: AO JS Loader provides a simple API to send messages, receive responses, and manage contract states. It also supports asynchronous operations, ensuring responsiveness and smoothness in web applications.

AO Compute Unit (CU)

  • Function: AO Compute Unit (CU) is a node that implements AO compute units and is responsible for processing the state of computing tasks. CU handles messages by executing contract code and returns the computation results.
  • Use Case: CU is used to execute computing tasks within AO contracts and supports parallel process execution. Users can request CU to compute the state of specific messages and return results.
  • Technical Details: CU supports multiple virtual machines (such as Lua, WASM) and can provide state proofs through cryptographic signatures. CUs form a decentralized market, competing to offer computation services, ensuring efficient and economical use of computational resources.

AO Scheduler Unit (SU)

  • Function: AO Scheduler Unit (SU) implements the scheduling unit in AO, responsible for sorting and uploading messages. SU ensures that messages are processed in order and uploaded to the Arweave decentralized data layer.
  • Function: AO Scheduler Unit (SU) implements the scheduling unit in AO, responsible for sorting and uploading messages. SU ensures that messages are processed in order and uploaded to the Arweave decentralized data layer.
  • Technical Details: CU supports multiple virtual machines (such as Lua, WASM) and can provide state proofs through cryptographic signatures. CUs form a decentralized market, competing to offer computation services, ensuring efficient and economical use of computational resources.

AO Messenger Unit (MU)

  • Function: AO Messenger Unit (MU) implements the AO messaging unit and is responsible for inter-process message passing. MU ensures reliable message transmission between different processes and coordinates the processing of messages.
  • Use Case: MU is used to receive messages from clients, route them to the designated SU, and retrieve results from CU. MU also supports message subscription and push, ensuring real-time communication between processes.
  • Technical Details: MU verifies the source and integrity of messages through cryptographic signatures, ensuring messages are delivered in order. MU also supports persistent message storage, ensuring long-term availability of messages.

AO Advantages and Competitive Analysis

AO (ao Computer) brings new possibilities to the decentralized computing field through its innovative decentralized computing environment, modular architecture, and trust-minimized design. Its technical features not only solve the performance and scalability issues of existing systems but also provide developers with a flexible and scalable computing platform. This section will explore AO’s technical advantages in detail and compare it with other similar projects.

AO Advantages

  • Infinite Scalability
    Parallel Processes: AO allows an unlimited number of parallel processes to run in a decentralized environment, with each process independently handling different computing tasks. This design breaks through the single-thread limitation of traditional blockchains, enabling true horizontal scaling.
    Modular Architecture: AO’s modular design lets users select different virtual machines, schedulers, and messaging mechanisms to support diverse computing needs. This flexibility allows AO to adapt to various application scenarios, from simple smart contracts to complex distributed systems.
  • Efficient Messaging
    Open Messaging Layer: AO’s open messaging layer enables efficient inter-process collaboration through standardized message formats and transmission mechanisms. This mechanism is akin to hyperlinks on the internet, linking independent processes into a unified computing network.
    Single System Image (SSI): Through the open messaging layer, AO forms a globally shared “single system image,” allowing users to seamlessly interact with any process, regardless of its physical distribution.
  • Trust Minimization
    Verifiability: AO achieves consensus by storing message logs on Arweave, ensuring the permanent availability and immutability of interaction logs. Users can independently verify the correctness of computation results without relying on centralized entities.
    Holographic State Mechanism: AO’s state is “holographically” implied in the message logs hosted on Arweave, allowing any network participant to derive the current state by computing the message logs. This increases the transparency and trustworthiness of the system.

Comparison of AO, Ethereum, Solana, and Akash

AO’s technical advantages lie in its infinite scalability, efficient messaging, trust-minimized design, and economic efficiency. These features give AO a significant competitive edge in the decentralized computing space. Compared to other similar projects, AO not only solves the performance and scalability challenges of current systems but also provides developers with a flexible and extensible computing platform. As the AO ecosystem continues to grow, its potential in Web3 applications will be further unlocked, laying a solid foundation for the future of decentralized computing.

Ecosystem Development

Milestones

  • 2020: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Arweave founder Sam discussed the idea of creating a neutral decentralized computing log system with the team via Zoom, forming the initial concept for AO.
  • 2021: The Forward Research team began development on AO in the summer of 2021, moving the project from concept to execution.
  • 2022: AO’s architecture was successfully validated, the testnet was launched, and developers began experimenting and building on it.
  • February 2024: Arweave officially launched the AO protocol, detailing its technical foundations and functionality.
  • June 2024: The AO tokenomics were formally introduced, marking a new phase in the project’s economic model and ecosystem development.
  • February 9, 2025: The AO token and AO mainnet were officially launched simultaneously.
  • 2025 and beyond: As AO technology matures and the ecosystem expands, AO is expected to gain broader adoption and market recognition in the decentralized computing space.

Current Development Status


Source: https://ao.arweave.dev/

AO (ao Computer) has achieved remarkable progress in ecosystem development, demonstrating strong potential and rapid growth in the decentralized computing space. The AO network currently has 5,737 users, indicating growing user interest and a steadily expanding user base. The total number of messages processed by the AO network has reached an impressive 2,212,215,766, reflecting both high network activity and widespread adoption across various use cases. In addition, AO supports 419,439 active processes, showcasing its ability to handle parallel computation and complex applications. The fair launch deposits have reached $223,229,092, underscoring the strong market confidence and participation in the AO project. These accomplishments mark significant milestones for AO and lay a solid foundation for future expansion and adoption.

At the same time, AO (ao Computer) is actively forging partnerships across sectors, accelerating the adoption and development of decentralized computing technology through collaboration with a diverse range of projects and platforms.


Source: https://x.com/usewander/status/1907129686679052423

Tokenomics

AO (ao Computer) has designed its tokenomics to foster a fair, decentralized, and sustainable ecosystem, bringing new momentum to the decentralized computing space. Below is a detailed summary of AO’s tokenomics:


Source: https://www.gate.io/zh/price/ao-ao

  • AO tokens follow Bitcoin’s economic model with a 100% fair launch—no presale or pre-allocation—ensuring fairness and decentralization. The total supply is capped at 21 million, mirroring Bitcoin to maintain scarcity. While AO also undergoes halving every four years, the process is smoother: distribution gradually decreases on a monthly basis. Tokens are distributed every 5 minutes, with 1.425% of the remaining supply released each month.


Source: @permadao/ao-%E4%BB%A3%E5%B8%81%E7%BB%8F%E6%B5%8E%E5%AD%A6%E5%8E%9F%E7%90%86-4dcd0aadc0fe"">https://medium.com/@permadao/ao-%E4%BB%A3%E5%B8%81%E7%BB%8F%E6%B5%8E%E5%AD%A6%E5%8E%9F%E7%90%86-4dcd0aadc0fe

  • During the initial phase of AO token issuance (February 27 to June 17, 2024), 100% of newly minted AO tokens were allocated to Arweave (AR) holders, providing additional incentives for early AR supporters. Starting from June 18, 2024, newly minted AO tokens are split: 33.3% continue to go to AR holders, while 66.6% are used to incentivize asset bridging into the AO ecosystem. Users can participate in this phase by depositing stETH (with more asset types to be supported in the future). AO tokens began circulating on February 9, 2025, after approximately 15% of the total supply (around 3.15 million AO tokens) had been minted.


Source: Gate.io

  • AO tokens are used to secure message transmission within the network, ensuring both security and reliability. The token incentive mechanism promotes economic growth and enhances the base layer’s security, while improving overall liquidity within the ecosystem. Use cases for the token include paying for message transmission fees, participating in network governance, and incentivizing developers and users to contribute to ecosystem development.
  • AO’s economic model features an innovative ecosystem funding distribution mechanism, where users continuously earn AO token rewards by bridging qualified assets via the AO funding bridge. This mechanism lies at the core of AO’s economic flywheel. Assets participating in the AO ecosystem must meet specific criteria: sufficient market liquidity (typically from major public chains) and the ability to generate yield (such as stETH).

Risk Analysis

Technical Risks

AO’s technical architecture is complex, involving multiple components and tools such as AO CLI, AO JS Loader, AO Compute Unit (CU), AO Scheduler Unit (SU), and AO Messenger Unit (MU). This complexity may introduce technical challenges during development and deployment, potentially affecting project progress and stability. For instance, AO’s messaging system must guarantee reliable message delivery and ordered execution, which could be difficult to maintain under high load.

As user and process counts grow, the AO network may face congestion issues, which could impact the efficiency and reliability of message delivery. A comparable case is Ethereum, where heavy congestion leads to increased transaction confirmation times, negatively impacting user experience. AO will need to optimize its network architecture and introduce more efficient message processing methods to address such challenges.

Additionally, the blockchain and decentralized computing sectors evolve rapidly, and AO must continuously adapt to new technologies and standards to remain competitive. For example, as WebAssembly (WASM) technology progresses, AO must ensure its virtual machine is compatible with the latest WASM standards to attract developers and projects.

Market Risks

AO faces strong competition from high-performance chains like Solana and Sei, as well as from decentralized compute protocols like Akash. These projects may pose threats to market share and technical capabilities. Solana, for example, draws developers and users with its high throughput and low latency, while Akash holds a key position in decentralized computing. AO must highlight its unique technical strengths—such as its modular architecture and trust-minimized design—to differentiate itself.

On the demand side, the market for decentralized computing might fall short of expectations, or AO’s technical features may not fully align with actual needs. For instance, in the decentralized storage market, Arweave competes with Filecoin, which dominates in both storage capacity and market acceptance.

AO must continuously refine its technical direction and use cases based on market research and user feedback. Furthermore, the volatility of the crypto market could significantly impact the value of AO tokens. Sharp price swings in assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum introduce uncertainty for investors. AO needs a stable token economic model and diversified application scenarios to mitigate this risk.

Notably, AO’s token price has dropped over 55% since its launch. This decline may reflect the market’s reassessment of the gap between the project’s execution and investor expectations. If AO fails to deliver on its technology, ecosystem development, or marketing efforts, confidence in the project may diminish. For instance, unresolved network congestion or slower-than-expected ecosystem growth could prompt investors to question the project’s long-term viability, contributing to further price declines.


Source: https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/ao-computer

Regulatory Risks

Global regulatory policies on cryptocurrency and blockchain remain inconsistent and are subject to change. AO must ensure its operations comply with local regulations to avoid legal risks. For example, China’s 2021 ban on crypto trading and mining forced many projects and companies to exit the market.

AO needs to monitor global regulatory developments and implement corresponding compliance strategies closely. As regulations tighten, compliance costs may rise. AO may have to allocate more resources to meet these requirements, increasing operational complexity and expenses. For instance, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) enforces strict transparency and consumer protection standards, which could elevate AO’s compliance burden.

Additionally, some countries may impose restrictive policies on decentralized computing and crypto assets, potentially limiting AO’s market reach and user base. India’s 2022 imposition of a high capital gains tax on crypto transactions, for example, dampened market activity. To mitigate this risk, AO should pursue a diversified market strategy and focus on expanding in more regulation-friendly regions.

Future Outlook

AO (ao Computer), with its innovative decentralized computing architecture and flexible tokenomics design, demonstrates strong potential for broad application across various sectors. Here are several key directions for AO’s future development:

The integration of AO and Arweave provides a robust infrastructure for decentralized AI. As the barriers to training large models lower and compute resources become more scarce, AO’s distributed parallel computing capabilities will gain increasing importance. Arweave’s permanent storage ensures long-term data preservation and immutability, offering vital support for the realization of the Web3 value internet.

In the Web3.0 era, data assets will become the most crucial resources on the internet. Arweave’s permanent storage enables the preservation and protection of valuable data assets from tampering. AO’s modular architecture and trust-minimized design provide a solid foundation for data ownership and circulation. This infrastructure supports not only intellectual property management and data asset trading but also lifecycle management for AI models.

AO enables developers to build trust-minimized financial services, such as decentralized algorithmic funds. Users can deposit tokens without needing to trust a fund manager, as all operations are executed automatically on-chain. These financial services enhance transparency and reduce trust costs, providing users with greater security.

By leveraging Oracle services like 0rbit, AO can process and verify massive amounts of internet data without relying on centralized Oracle providers. This trust-minimized access to encrypted HTTPS data across the internet offers developers powerful data-handling capabilities.

In summary, AO has a promising future. With its decentralized computing architecture and adaptable tokenomics, AO is positioned to achieve long-term success in decentralized computing. Whether in decentralized AI, financial services, data processing, or Web3 applications, AO shows tremendous potential. As technology advances and the ecosystem expands, AO is poised to drive transformative change across the Web3 value internet.

Conclusion

AO (ao Computer), as a key project within the Arweave ecosystem, brings new possibilities to the Web3 space through its innovative decentralized computing architecture and modular design. It not only solves performance and scalability issues faced by traditional decentralized computing systems but also provides developers with a flexible and scalable computing platform.

AO’s core technical features include a decentralized computing environment, modular architecture, and trust-minimized design. These features enable AO to support an unlimited number of parallel processes and facilitate efficient collaboration through an open messaging layer. Additionally, AO’s economic model ensures long-term network sustainability through a fair token distribution mechanism and dynamic pricing strategies.

Despite facing certain risks in technology, market, and regulation, AO’s broad application prospects in decentralized AI, financial services, data processing, and Web3 applications, along with its expanding ecosystem, provide a solid foundation for its future development. With continuous technological advancements and ecosystem enhancements, AO is poised to achieve long-term success in decentralized computing and bring profound transformations to the Web3 value internet.

Author: Alawn
Translator: Viper
Reviewer(s): Pow、KOWEI、Elisa
Translation Reviewer(s): Ashley、Joyce
* The information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by Gate.io.
* This article may not be reproduced, transmitted or copied without referencing Gate.io. Contravention is an infringement of Copyright Act and may be subject to legal action.
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