Turning Ideas Into Reality

The Role of nChain’s Prototyping Team

In the fast-paced world of blockchain application development, ideas are constantly being generated. White papers, academic papers and patent applications propose new concepts that have the potential to transform industries. However, the journey from theory to implementation often requires bridging a significant gap. This is where the Research prototyping team steps in to bring their innovations to life.

What We Do

Our team specialises in creating more than just prototypes. While the term prototype often suggests throwaway code, what we produce is far from that. We work closely with the Research department, taking their ideas from paper and bringing them to life through fully functional production-ready software systems. These aren’t rough sketches or proofs of concept but high quality solutions fully documented, extensively tested and ready for developers to build on or integrate into larger systems. Whether it’s a complex script, a tokenisation protocol, a new cryptographic protocol or an innovative use of AI to handle transaction processing, we turn theoretical concepts into tangible and usable applications. This enables researchers, developers and investors to interact with the ideas first hand showcasing their real-world potential.

Our Process

Our process begins with a detailed analysis. We take a white paper (or academic paper) as our primary input. These documents outline new concepts and approaches but they often lack the technical specifications necessary for immediate development. We work with the researchers to identify key components, clarify ambiguities and map out an initial blueprint for a working prototype. Once the concept is clearly defined and a relevant use-case is chosen, we begin development. This ensures that we have a solid foundation and clear direction before we write any code. It also means that we can look at components that we have already developed for previous prototypes and try to reuse them. This approach allows us to focus our efforts on building robust and practical solutions that address the needs of the chosen use-case and improve upon previously written software. Our team specialises in a range of programming languages and tools from low-level languages like Rust and C/C++ for performance critical components to Python for its ease of prototyping to JavaScript, React Native and Streamlit for User Interface work. We also rely heavily on containerisation technologies and open source code and package repositories to distribute our code and make it easier to demonstrate. Throughout this process, we ensure the software is not only functional but also production quality. We have:

• Extensive documentation to accompany each project, making it easy for developers to understand
• Comprehensive unit testing to ensure the software is reliable
• The software is written with modularity and extensibility in mind making it easy to adapt and build upon.

Finally, our goal is always the same: to create a working version of the concept that can be tested and refined.

Why It Matters

The blockchain space is a rapidly evolving one with new ideas constantly emerging. However, many of these ideas remain abstract until someone builds a version that others can interact with. By creating these high-quality, production-ready prototypes, we not only validate the underlying concepts but also explore how they can be applied in real-world scenarios.

A working prototype helps to identify potential challenges, areas for improvement and new directions for further research. By collaborating internally with researchers, developers and companies, we create a positive feedback loop. Once a prototype is built, it’s immediately put to the test in real-world scenarios. This helps expose unforeseen problems or edge-cases that prompt new rounds of research. Each iteration, whether refining a cryptographic technique or optimising performance, leads to deeper understanding and better solutions. Developers and companies can leverage these solutions minimising the time and effort required to move from concept to product while providing valuable feedback that drives further innovation.

Real World Impact

Many of the projects we work on are at the cutting edge of blockchain and Bitcoin technology. From the latest techniques in cryptography to parallel transaction validation, our systems have the potential to shape the future of various industries. Once a prototype is completed it is often presented at conferences to generate interest and support for further development. We aspire for these prototypes to lay the groundwork for a future startup or serve as the basis for larger development initiatives

Collaboration is Key

One of the more exciting aspects of our work is the collaboration it fosters. By working directly with researchers, we bridge the gap between theory and practice helping to turn visions of the future into tangible technology. This requires not only technical expertise but also a good understanding of the underlying research and the broader goals of the company and blockchain community. Collaboration also plays a crucial role in highlighting early potential limitations or areas for improvement. This allows us to refine our approach before significant challenges arise. This iterative process helps ensure that the solutions we develop are robust and aligned with the evolving needs of the department, company and wider industry.

Looking Ahead

As the blockchain industry continues to grow and establish its presence beyond cryptocurrency speculation, our team remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. By developing production-ready software based on cutting-edge research we aim to drive adoption and application of new ideas in ways that can change industries and improve systems.

Our work transforms blockchain research from theory into reality ensuring it makes a meaningful and tangible impact. Please follow the link below to our github repository.

https://github.com/nchain-innovation

In future posts, we’ll explore our development initiatives and topics, how they can be accessed and demonstrated, providing insights into our contributions to this dynamic field. Do stay tuned!