Blockchain to get its first real operating system

Our team of serial entrepreneurs and leading Ph.D. researchers in computer science, probability, and distributed computing have joined forces to solve two of the biggest roadblocks in the mass adoption of blockchain — network efficiency and difficulty in coding.

To tackle these problems, we have designed the first second-layer system able to run a real operating system on top of blockchain.

Cartesi brings all the tools and capabilities available in modern operating systems to the decentralized web. It is a real and fully-fledged Linux OS that skyrockets the capabilities of decentralized applications without compromising on the security guarantees of blockchain.

Cartesi makes it easy to code decentralized applications that are as compelling to their users as mainstream Web apps. Linux + Blockchain = our future decentralized web.

The implications of this new tech are difficult to overstate.

Blockchain’s glass ceiling

Blockchain is full of unrealized potential. We’ve all heard the promises: a fully decentralized web, the return of autonomy and privacy to users, a trustless framework for the Internet of Things. But the reality has been dramatically different. A lack of technical infrastructure has limited the power of DApps and kept us on a slow and frustrating road to adoption.

DApps that are fully deployed on blockchains are extremely inefficient and limited when compared even to the everyday apps we use on devices small enough to fit into our pockets. Efficiency only comes at the cost of centralization.

To make things worse, blockchains offer poor development tools, making coding very hard if not totally impossible. Unless we fix this, the decentralized web will remain a pipe dream. Until we have the proper technology in place, such as Cartesi, the decentralized web will remain nothing but a fantasy.

The good news is that Cartesi’s Core, specified in our tech paper, is fully functional and open-sourced.

The Road to Cartesi

Going forward, we will be working on making Cartesi available and easy for everyone, even non-blockchain developers:

The first sample application — a fully decentralized tower defense tournament (Coming in the next weeks)

SDK and Tutorials. Cartesi will make it easy for developers to create and deploy powerful DApps.
CTSI — A token designed to provide greater security and provide DApp users with a relatable Web2.0-like experience (more on that soon)
A novel staking mechanism in which participants know exactly how much return they will get for their staked tokens. Stay tuned for more information.
An ASIC-resistant mining software that will bootstrap the Cartesi Network. It will reward early adopters with CTSI rewards for supporting the network
A plan to integrate Cartesi with the most important public blockchains, making Cartesi DApps portable across the desired consensus layers

The Team

Cartesi is led by a team of serial entrepreneurs and leading Ph.D. researchers in computer science, probability, and distributed computing.

Erick de Moura (CEO) - Technical leader and serial entrepreneur with deep experience in designing systems that people actually use.

Augusto Teixeira, PhD (Chief Scientific Officer) - Mathematician with a Ph.D. from ETH-Zurich and a post-doc from Ecole Normale Supérieure of Paris specializing in probability and graph theory.

Diego Nehab, PhD (CTO) - Computer scientist with a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a post-doc from Microsoft Research, specializing in GPGPU.

Colin Steil (COO) - Previous venture capitalist and execution master with years of experience in business operations across the globe. He’s our doer.

Danilo Tuler (Head of Engineering) - Danilo is a previous CTO and tech company founder with a successful exit. We go to Danilo with problems no one else can solve.
Our superhero technical team

Nothing would be possible without the creativity, discipline, and passion of Stephen, Felipe, Victor, Carlo, and Fabiana. These are the champions building the Decentralized Web.