Google isn’t known for being a primary leader in the next generation of Web 3.0, but perhaps news this week could spur change on that front. The tech giant announced a partnership with Top Shot and Flow blockchain creator Dapper Labs.
The partnership will allow Google to assist in scaling the Flow blockchain for the future.
Google & Flow: By The Numbers
The partnership secures Google Cloud as a member of the Flow network that “will supercharge connectivity to consumers and app developers worldwide.” The multi-year deal, first reported in depth through a Forbes press release, establishes Google Cloud as a network operator that will provide the infrastructure necessary for Flow to scale up. Dapper Labs has established itself as a strong player across the NFT market, and the Flow blockchain is already powering Dapper products like Top Shot and CryptoKitties. The deal comes during the midst of an NFT boom, after a smashing month of August and more of a moderate September for the broader NFT market.
Dapper CEO Roham Gharegozlou confirmed and cited the partnership with Google in a tweet that covered some major milestones for the Flow blockchain since going on mainnet less than a year ago: over 2MM unique wallets, with less than half from Top Shot, nearly 250 mainnet contracts, and over 18MM blocks and nearly 50MM transactions on the chain.
Gharegozlou also stated that Flow is “now with 3000+ new devs building, Google jumps onboard to help scale.” With this new deal in place, those Flow devs will be able to access nodes at a lower latency.
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The Cloud Market Impact?
One interesting point of note from the team at Forbes’ is the impact that Flow and other blockchain services will have on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Node operators across the Flow blockchain are free to use any hardware that suits their needs. However, this week’s announcement will make it easier for devs to integrate with Google Cloud’s software.
In a statement to Forbes, Gharegozlou described today’s blockchain evolution as “the iPhone moment where consumers are starting to understand what’s going on.” Both Microsoft and Amazon have begun blockchain initiatives in recent years. This has allowed the major tech players to continue to have a strong hold on cloud reliance with crypto nodes. A 2019 Chainstack report showed that over 60% of Ethereum nodes were running on cloud services. This, in turn, results in a steady reliance on major cloud services providers – a market generally controlled by Google, AWS, and Microsoft services.
This week’s move from Google isn’t it’s first in crypto, as the tech giant has previously partnered with the likes of Hedera Hashgraph and Chainlink.
The FLOW token saw strong performance during the NFT boom in August; despite a tempered September, the token has performed well this week with this week's announcement assisting short-term performance. | Source: FLOW-USD on TradingView.com
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Featured image from Pixabay, Charts from TradingView.com