EVONChain: A Public Blockchain Architecture with Bi-tiered Network for Edge Computing

Abstract

This paper introduces EVONChain, a nature-inspired evolvable blockchain that addresses scalability issues in large-scale blockchain applications. EVONChain decouples the functions of a full blockchain node into two consensus phases. A small number of high-performance cloud nodes in the inner network handle transaction validation, block packaging, and consistent replication using the “longest chain” rule. Meanwhile, a large number of low-performance user nodes connected by Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) providers in the outer network handle the Proof of Intelligent (PoI), a novel Proof of Work (PoW) mechanism that resists Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) computing and enables “one-CPU-one-vote” principle. This architecture enables EVONChain to achieve perfect decentralization, high scalability and security. To evaluate EVONChain’s performance, we developed a simulator. Simulation results show that EVONChain can achieve a throughput of over 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) with an inner network bandwidth of 4Gbps, a block interval of 10 seconds, and an orphaned block rate of less than 7%. This indicates that EVONChain significantly improves performance scalability for high-frequency applications, reduces confirmation time to the minute level, while maintaining a comparable level of security to the Ethereum network.