Major Opportunities for Polkadot Ecosystem Developers: Next-Generation Protocol Construction Rewards Program

For blockchain developers in the Polkadot ecosystem, a highly valuable and milestone project is underway. This significant plan has established a rewards pool of up to 10 million DOT and 100,000 KSM, open to all tech pioneers willing to participate in the construction of the next generation Polkadot protocol.

As the next-generation core protocol of Polkadot, JAM represents a future network architecture with higher performance and greater flexibility. This initiative aims to accelerate the development and implementation of the JAM protocol, looking forward to more developers engaging in building a more open, secure, and autonomous Web3 infrastructure.

Introduction to JAM Protocol

JAM (Join-Accumulate Machine) is a new protocol designed to replace the Polkadot relay chain. It has stronger smart contract execution capabilities and a more streamlined modular architecture. The goal of JAM is to enable Polkadot to no longer be limited to running specific functions, but to support general "services" that can run on the core, namely smart contract logic.

In JAM, developers can still build and deploy chains through Substrate, which will be accessed as parachain services. JAM technically introduces a series of innovations, including replacing WebAssembly with a Polkadot Virtual Machine (PVM) built on the RISC-V instruction set architecture, as well as adopting the zero-knowledge proof-based block generation algorithm SAFROLE. These designs together create a new Polkadot paradigm that is more scalable and flexible.

Competition Objectives and Review Process

This plan aims to fund the implementation of a multilingual JAM client to enhance the protocol's decentralization, diversity, and risk resistance, avoiding the hazards of single points of failure. The submitted works will be evaluated by members of the Polkadot Technical Association, and relevant support and rewards will be coordinated based on the evaluation results.

Competition Path

Competing teams can choose from three different development paths:

1. Full verification node (including self-developed PVM)
2. Non-Self-Developed PVM Validator Nodes
3. Light Node Implementation

Each path is equipped with multiple milestones. After completing each stage, developers can achieve a technical level promotion from the Polkadot Technical Association based on their code and protocol contributions, with the highest level being Fellow Level 3.

Notes

To ensure the fairness of the competition and the security of the protocol, participating teams should avoid referencing the specific implementation details of other teams, especially not sharing code directly. High-level design ideas or optimization directions can be discussed, but specific implementations of each other’s work should not be reviewed or referenced. If there is collaboration with other teams during the debugging process, relevant content and findings must be accurately recorded, and noted through GitHub issues or in the remarks when submitting results.

Other Funding Programs in the Polkadot Ecosystem

In addition to the JAM Prize, the Polkadot ecosystem also offers various long-term and special funding channels:

1. Polkadot Open Source Grant Bounty Program
2. Web3 Foundation Grant Program
3. Polkadot Ecosystem Fund
4. Polkadot Ecosystem Fund II
5. Polkadot Pioneer Rewards

These plans provide support for developers, researchers, and entrepreneurial teams to promote the implementation of innovative projects at different stages.

Conclusion

The JAM protocol is not only the next-generation core protocol of Polkadot, but also a key step in determining the future direction of the entire ecosystem. This rewards program is calling on the most visionary developers from around the world to work together to build a stronger and more open Web3 infrastructure. Interested developers can learn more about the competition details and join in building a stronger and more open decentralized future.