While secure and decentralized, the Bitcoin network faces significant challenges in scaling its data capabilities. The increasing demand for Bitcoin inscriptions and the consequent high data storage costs highlight a critical need for a more efficient data management solution. The potential for broader applications and innovations within the Bitcoin ecosystem remains constrained without addressing these limitations.

Enter Nubit: a cutting-edge data availability layer designed to overcome these challenges. Secured by Bitcoin and backed by Polychain, Nubit enhances the scalability and efficiency of Bitcoin’s data handling. By enabling applications like Ordinals, Layer 2 solutions, and price oracles, Nubit broadens the scope and utility of the Bitcoin network, fostering an environment ripe for innovation and growth.

What is Nubit?

Source: Nubit Website

Nubit is a pioneering data availability layer tailored for the Bitcoin ecosystem, offering a scalable and cost-effective solution for managing data. Secured by Bitcoin’s robust infrastructure, Nubit is designed to enhance the network’s data capacity, supporting applications such as Ordinals, Layer 2 solutions, price oracles, and indexers. By doing so, it aims to significantly boost the efficiency and breadth of the Bitcoin network.

The Mission and Vision of Nubit

Nubit’s mission is to facilitate seamless scaling of Bitcoin’s data capabilities without compromising security or efficiency. Nubit strives to empower developers and users within the Bitcoin community to innovate and build more sophisticated applications.

Nubit’s vision is to establish a more expansive and versatile Bitcoin ecosystem where data throughput limitations are effectively addressed, enabling a future in which Bitcoin’s potential can be fully realized.

Nubit Architecture

Nubit employs cutting-edge technology to ensure scalability, security, and data integrity within the Bitcoin ecosystem. These advancements are integral to enabling the network to handle increased data demands efficiently and securely. Let’s explore the core technologies behind Nubit.

NubitBFT Consensus Mechanism

At the heart of Nubit is the NubitBFT consensus mechanism. This innovative protocol is designed to support a vast network of validators—potentially up to 200,000. The NubitBFT algorithm leverages CometBFT, a high-performance consensus framework, and incorporates SNARKs (Succinct Non-interactive Arguments of Knowledge) for efficient signature aggregation. This combination ensures that block verification remains robust and decentralized, significantly enhancing the network’s security and scalability.

Data Availability Sampling (DAS)

A critical feature of Nubit is Data Availability Sampling (DAS). DAS allows light clients to verify the availability of block data without the need to download the entire block. By performing multiple rounds of random sampling on small portions of the block data, DAS ensures that the data is both present and unaltered. This process makes the system resilient against malicious activities, such as data withholding or tampering, by ensuring that the integrity and availability of stored information are maintained.

Inherited Security Measures

Nubit inherits Bitcoin’s stringent security measures, leveraging native staking and anchoring methods to uphold economic security, tamper resistance, and censorship resistance. Nubit benefits from Bitcoin’s well-established security principles, providing an additional layer of trust and reliability. By aligning with Bitcoin’s core principles, Nubit ensures users can rely on a secure and trustworthy data availability layer.

Scalability and Application Support

Nubit’s technology enhances Bitcoin’s data capacity and supports a diverse range of applications. This includes facilitating the development of Ordinals, Layer 2 solutions, price oracles, and indexers, broadening the Bitcoin ecosystem’s functionality. By providing a scalable and efficient data availability layer, Nubit empowers developers to create more sophisticated applications without facing the limitations of traditional data throughput.

Community and Ecosystem Integration

Nubit also focuses on fostering a vibrant developer community and a supportive ecosystem. The Alpha Testnet provides a sandbox for testing and innovation, allowing developers to explore Nubit’s capabilities in a real-world environment. Comprehensive resources such as the Explorer, Documentation, and GitHub repository ensure developers have the tools to build and innovate. Additionally, active community channels like Discord, GitHub, Twitter, and Telegram offer platforms for collaboration, support, and ongoing engagement.

Core Features of Nubit

Source: Nubit Whitepaper

Nubit is built on four essential components: Validators, Full Storage Nodes, Light Clients, and the Data Availability Layer. Each plays a critical role in ensuring the system’s functionality, security, and scalability.

Validators

Validators are the backbone of Nubit’s network. These nodes use the NubitBFT consensus mechanism to propose and verify blocks and transactions. By maintaining a large validator set, potentially up to 200,000 nodes, Nubit achieves a high level of decentralization and security. Validators ensure that all transactions are accurately recorded and that the blockchain remains consistent and tamper-proof.

Full Storage Nodes

Full Storage Nodes are responsible for storing all block data received from validators. They play a crucial role in ensuring data integrity and availability. These nodes handle large volumes of data, safeguarding it against threats such as data withholding or tampering. By interacting with Light Clients through Data Availability Sampling (DAS), Full Storage Nodes ensure the stored data is accessible and intact.

Light Clients

Light Clients are designed to operate efficiently with minimal resource requirements. They receive block headers from validators, which contain data commitments. To verify data availability, Light Clients randomly query Full Storage Nodes. This method allows Light Clients to participate in the network’s security without the need for extensive data storage or processing power, ensuring broad and inclusive network participation.

Data Availability Layer

The Data Availability Layer is a critical component that underpins the entire Nubit network. It ensures that all data required for validating transactions is accessible and can be verified without downloading entire blocks. This is achieved through Data Availability Sampling (DAS), which involves random sampling of small data portions to confirm their presence and integrity. The Data Availability Layer allows Nubit to scale effectively, maintaining performance and security even as data demands grow.

Use Cases of Nubit

Expanding Bitcoin’s Data Capabilities

One of Nubit’s primary use cases is to enhance the Bitcoin network’s data capabilities. By providing a scalable data availability layer, Nubit allows for the seamless integration of applications like Ordinals, Layer 2 solutions, price oracles, and indexers. This expansion supports more sophisticated and diverse use cases within the Bitcoin ecosystem, driving innovation and efficiency.

Cost-Efficient Data Storage

Nubit offers a cost-efficient solution for data storage on the Bitcoin network. As the demand for Bitcoin inscriptions grows, the associated data storage costs can become prohibitive. Nubit addresses this by providing a scalable and economical data layer, reducing the financial burden on developers and users.

Enhanced Security and Trust Minimization

Nubit’s critical advantage is Security. By inheriting Bitcoin’s robust security measures and incorporating its own advanced consensus mechanisms, Nubit ensures a high level of trust minimization. This makes it an ideal platform for applications that require stringent security and reliability, such as financial services and decentralized applications (dApps).

Facilitating Decentralized Applications

Nubit’s infrastructure provides a reliable and scalable data layer that supports the development and deployment of decentralized applications (dApps). Developers can leverage Nubit’s technology to build applications that benefit from Bitcoin’s security while overcoming its data throughput limitations. This creates new opportunities for innovation and growth within the Bitcoin ecosystem.

The Team Behind Nubit

Yu Feng

Yu Feng is the CEO and co-founder of Nubit. He also serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). With an impressive academic background, Professor Feng has received numerous accolades for his contributions to computer science, including best paper awards from prestigious conferences like PLDI, ASE, and CHI. His expertise has also been recognized with awards from Google and the Ethereum Foundation. Additionally, he is a co-founder of Veridise, further showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to advancing technological innovations.

Hanzhi Liu

Hanzhi Liu is a co-founder at Nubit and a Ph.D. student (currently on leave) at UCSB. He holds a B.S. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research focuses on program verification, language semantics, and compiler optimizations. Liu has contributed significantly to Ethereum Foundation PSE’s projects, writing formal proofs and discovering numerous zero-day vulnerabilities. His work on certifying ZKP circuits has been recognized at the S&P 2024 conference, and he has been instrumental in developing strategies to mitigate on-chain attacks.

Hongbo Wen

Hongbo Wen, a co-founder of Nubit, is a senior Ph.D. student (currently on leave) at UCSB, with a B.S. from Tsinghua University. Wen’s research primarily revolves around blockchain security, where he has identified numerous zero-day vulnerabilities and common flaw patterns in smart contracts and Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) circuits. His pioneering work on ‘ZKAP,’ a paper focused on detecting bug patterns in ZKP circuits, was presented at USENIX Sec ‘24, highlighting his significant contributions to the field.

Nubit Fundraising Journey

Nubit has successfully navigated several funding rounds, amassing a total of $11 million to propel its innovative projects within the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Seed Round

On June 5, 2024, Nubit secured $8 million in a seed funding round. This round was led by Polychain Capital, with significant contributions from The Spartan Group and OKX Ventures, among others. This influx of capital was pivotal in advancing Nubit’s technological capabilities and expanding its reach within the blockchain community.

Pre-Seed Round

Earlier, on March 26, 2024, Nubit raised $3 million during its pre-seed round. Key investors included OKX Ventures, NGC Ventures, and LongHash Ventures. This initial funding helped lay the groundwork for Nubit’s development, allowing the team to establish a robust foundation for their data availability layer.

Angel Round

In the angel round on January 4, 2024, Nubit attracted early interest from investors such as Bounce, though the exact amount raised during this phase remains undisclosed. These early investments were crucial in getting the project off the ground and supporting the initial stages of development.

Overall, Nubit’s strategic fundraising efforts have garnered strong support from prominent investors, underscoring the project’s potential to revolutionize Bitcoin’s data availability landscape. With a solid financial backing, Nubit is well-equipped to continue its mission of enhancing scalability and security within the Bitcoin and broader blockchain ecosystems.

Nubit’s Alpha Testnet

Phase 1: Community Assemble

The Nubit Alpha Testnet kicked off with “Phase 1: Community Assemble,” a resounding success that saw over 250,000 participants, affectionately known as Nubiters, join the community. This initial phase was crucial in building a solid foundation of engaged users ready to support and test the innovative capabilities of Nubit.

Phase 2: Light Node Quest

Building on this momentum, Nubit launched “Phase 2: Light Node Quest,” which ran from June 24 to July 24. This phase called on the community to run light nodes, playing an essential role in scaling and securing the network. Participants were invited to contribute by performing Data Availability Sampling (DAS) using KZG-based Namespaced Merkle Trees and validity proofs, which enhance the overall security and scalability of Nubit.

To join the Light Node Quest, participants must follow a straightforward process:

1. Log in to the campaign page (alpha.nubit.org) by connecting your wallet.

2. Run Nubit’s light node with a simple command.

3. Verify your light node’s public key to claim points.

Running a light node allowed participants to actively contribute to the network by ensuring the continuous availability and integrity of data, a critical component in maintaining Nubit’s resilience against potential threats.

Community Impact and Looking Forward

The contributions from the community during Phase 2 were invaluable. Each light node operated by participants performed essential tasks that fortified Nubit’s infrastructure, making it the ecosystem’s most scalable data availability layer. The success of this phase underscored the power of collective effort in advancing Nubit’s mission.

Phase 3: Testnet Adventure

Looking ahead, Phase 3: Testnet Adventure is on the horizon. This next phase promises even more rewarding tasks and deeper insights into Nubit’s capabilities and mission for the Bitcoin and multi-chain ecosystems. Stay tuned for exciting developments and new opportunities to contribute to and shape Nubit’s future.

The Alpha Testnet phases have demonstrated Nubit’s commitment to community engagement and continuous technological improvement. Nubit is poised to drive significant advancements in the Bitcoin ecosystem and beyond by fostering an active and dedicated community.

Conclusion

Nubit enhances Bitcoin’s data capabilities with an innovative and secure data availability layer. By addressing scalability and security challenges through advanced consensus mechanisms and Data Availability Sampling, Nubit makes the Bitcoin ecosystem more robust and efficient.

The success of the Alpha Testnet phases highlights Nubit’s commitment to community engagement and innovation. As it progresses towards the next phase, Nubit is set to significantly impact the blockchain industry, making data management on Bitcoin more scalable and reliable for all users.