Nillion is a decentralized network that enables secure computation on private data without decryption through an approach called “blind computation,” which ensures greater privacy and security.
This article briefly overviews Nillion, blind computation, and use cases for Nillion as used by developers and other ecosystem players.
Blind Computation
Blind computation refers to the ability to perform operations on encrypted data, keeping the original information concealed throughout the process. Nillion Network masks and distributes data across multiple nodes, with each node performing computations without access to the actual contents. The final output is the combination of their results.
How Nillion Works
Nillion’s architecture is built upon several fundamental components.
- Petnet: This is an orchestration layer that manages the use of various privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) by applications built on Nillion.
- nilChain: A coordination layer that handles network transaction processing, staking, and governance.
- Blind Modules: These private computation clusters perform blind computations on encrypted data.
The network employs a combination of PETs, including:
- Multi-Party Computation (MPC): Allows multiple parties to jointly compute a function over their inputs while keeping those inputs private.
- Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE): Enables computations on encrypted data without decrypting it first.
- Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs): Allow one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any information beyond the validity of the statement itself.
Use Cases for Nillion
There are numerous potential and existing use cases for a solution like Nillion.
AI and Machine Learning on Private Data
Training or operating AI models often requires access to sensitive user data. Blind computation enables training and inference on encrypted data so developers can build personalized AI systems without exposing user information. Thus, a health app can use AI to recommend treatments based on user medical history without accessing the data in plaintext.
Healthcare and Genomics
Medical data is subject to several privacy laws (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR). Thanks to Nillion, researchers and institutions can collaborate on encrypted patient data to run analyses or simulations without violating privacy.
Finance and Credit Scoring
Financial apps often require sensitive financial information to assess risk or offer loans. With Nillion, users can submit encrypted financial data that is processed blindly to generate scores or risk assessments.
Decentralized Identity and Authentication
Sharing identity or proof-of-credentials can expose more information than is actually necessary. Nillion can enable zk-proofs and privacy-preserving verification. For example, one can prove they’re over 18 to access a particular service without revealing their birthdate.
Enterprise Collaboration and Data Sharing
Companies may hesitate to share proprietary or sensitive data, even when collaboration could be mutually beneficial. Nillion’s secure multi-party computation allows for joint analysis without data leakage. Thus, competitors can co-analyze market data to forecast trends without revealing their own sales figures to each other.
Applications Ecosystem
Nillion has an extensive ecosystem of applications that work in different areas and benefit from the advantages of its blind computation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Nillion enables secure AI model training and inference on encrypted data. Notable projects in this field include the following.
- Virtuals Protocol: Facilitates private training and inference of AI models for personalized agents.
- Ritual: Provides a decentralized platform for blind AI inference, ensuring model execution privacy.
- Skillful AI: Offers a personalized AI ecosystem with secure data handling.
Healthcare
Nillion supports privacy-preserving medical research and diagnostics. Some of the most prominent players in the field include the following.
- Monadic DNA: A genomics platform ensuring data remains encrypted throughout its lifecycle.
- Agerate: Provides secure blood testing analytics and aging insights.
- Stadium Science: Enhances medical diagnostics using private computation.
DeFi
Nillion technology ensures confidential financial computations and thus enhances privacy in DeFi applications. Examples of this include the following.
- Kayra: A decentralized dark pool trading platform offering privacy-protected trading experiences.
- Salt: A marketplace enabling secure competition among wealth managers while protecting sensitive portfolio data.
Decentralized Science (DeSci)
Nillion supports collaborative scientific research by enabling secure data sharing and computation among institutions. Projects in this domain include the following.
- Space of Mind: Provides affordable peer support for individuals experiencing PTSD while ensuring data privacy.
- Monadic DNA: Contributes to DeSci by allowing the secure processing of genomic data.
Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN)
Nillion supports DePIN projects with secure storage and computation of sensitive real-world data.
- Soarchain utilized Nillion to securely process and protect over 130 million data points, thus demonstrating the scalability of PETs in real-world applications.
On top of that, Nillion also features a set of developer tools.
- nilVM: A virtual machine supporting various programming languages.
- nilDB: A decentralized database for encrypted data storage.
- nilAI: Tools and frameworks for developing AI applications that prioritize data privacy.
- Nucleus Builders Program: An initiative that offers wide-ranged support to developers building on the Nillion network.
The NIL Token
The NIL token is the native utility token of the Nillion network that supports the secure computation and storage of sensitive data through blind computation.
Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 NIL tokens.
Initial Circulating Supply: Approximately 19.52% at the time of listing.
Allocation Breakdown:
- Ecosystem & R&D: 29%
- Community Incentives: 20%
- Core Contributors: 20%
- Early Supporters: 21%
- Protocol Development: 10%
Vesting Schedule: Tokens allocated to insiders and early backers are subject to a one-year cliff, followed by a three-year monthly vesting period, to promote long-term commitment to the network.
The core functions of NIL are as follows.
Payment for Network Services
- NIL tokens are the means of payment for services within the network, including blind computation tasks and data storage.
Staking and Network Security
- Token holders can stake NIL to support the network’s security. Validators stake tokens to participate in transaction validation and computation processes and receive rewards in return.
Governance Participation
- NIL token holders have the right to participate in the network’s governance, which includes decision-making on protocol upgrades, parameter adjustments, and resource allocation.
Roadmap
Nillion’s roadmap covers four key phases, each focused on tasks to enhance the network’s capabilities.
Phase 1: Genesis Sprint
- Testing core functionalities such as wallet creation, token transfers, staking, and governance mechanisms.
- Deploying the Coordination Layer (nilChain) to manage payments, governance, and resource coordination.
- Engaging the community through incentivized testnets and verifier programs to ensure network robustness.
Phase 2: Catalyst Convergence
- Integrating the Petnet (computation layer) with the Coordination Layer to enable seamless interaction between computation and governance components.
- Onboard external nodes to further decentralize the network.
- Deploying blind applications that employ privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) like Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE).
Phase 3: Hardening
- Enhancing network security and stability to support real-world applications.
- Finalizing production-ready features for secure data storage and blind computation.
- Processing real transactions to demonstrate the network’s operation.
Phase 4: The Multicluster Future
- Horizontally scaling the network by introducing new clusters (groups of nodes) tailored to specific needs.
- Allowing developers to choose clusters based on factors like performance, hardware specifications, and regulatory compliance.
- Expanding the network’s applicability across various industries, including AI, healthcare, and finance.
Everstake and Nillion
Everstake has been one of Nillion’s earliest supporters and played an important role in its seed funding via Everstake Capital.
We also support Nillion as one of its validators, providing our industry-renowned resilient infrastructure and technological know-how to help the network stay efficient and secure. With over 7 years of experience under the hood and a team of seasoned and battle-tested professionals, we can duly play our role in helping Nillion grow to its full potential and change the face of Web3.
You can stake NIL with us here.
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