Filament has recently developed a new chip that enables industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) devices to communicate with blockchains. This chip works with IoT-optimized trusted execution environments.
The chip has a very small footprint and low power consumption. It is also very secure, containing a robust cryptographic chain-of-custody protocol. The chip currently supports Hyperledger Sawtooth blockchain, and this will shortly be expanded to encompass the Ethereum blockchain ledger. The Filament technology stack was built upon five key principles, described as: Security, Privacy, Autonomy, Decentralization, and Exchange (SPADE).
The secure contract system is called the Blocklet chip and it has been designed to allow any industrial device to interact with any blockchain technology, and for where multiple blockchains are in use. As set out in the white paper “Foundations for the Next Economic Revolution”, Filament provides digital supply chain innovations as connected shipping containers with the capability of autonomously recording and sharing data with all stakeholders, thereby increasing transparency. Moreover such ‘smart containers’ could schedule their own transit and make payments through a shared blockchain.
Another application is with next generation manufacturing equipment that would have the ability to record and share information on its usage and automatically order supplies.
In a statement, Filament CEO Allison Clift-Jennings outlines why the new chip promises much for logistics businesses: “This is a big step in digital transformation as Blockchain solves long-standing problems in the technology world. Our new products demonstrate and validate the inherent trust that Blockchain ledgers create. And with devices in the field today, we are quickly proving that blockchain as a technology is bigger than its first and most famous application, Bitcoin.” Read more…
