Somnia Blockchain
Somnia is a high-performance and cost-effective EVM-comatible Tier 1 blockchain capable of processing over 400,000 transactions per second (TPS) with sub-second finality. It is suitable for serving millions of users and building massive real-time consumer applications such as games, social apps, metaverse and more, all entirely on-chain.
To achieve this level of performance, Somnia leverages four key innovations in blockchain architecture:
- Accelerated sequential execution - thanks to a compiled EVM bytecode.
- IceDB - a faster and more predictable database for storing blockchain state.
- MultiStream Consensus - a proof-of-stake, partially synchronous BFT protocol based on Autobahn BFT.
- Advanced compression techniques - to address the problem of increased data traffic between nodes at the expense of bandwidth.
Decentralization
Somnia believes in sufficient decentralization of services, not maximum decentralization. This means that you have decentralized the infrastructure enough to provide the good properties of decentralization (increased security, resistance to censorship, no single owner/contractor) but avoid significant performance degradation.
For Somnia, the main validators of the network will be the hardware specifications of Solana and Aptos nodes. This will provide the high level of performance required for mass real-time consumer applications. Initially there will be 100 globally distributed validator nodes in the network, but the number will grow as the network evolves and is incentivized through tokenomics.
Use Cases
The browser will be a universal front-end through which users can browse metaverses and mapps on the network. Somnia is creating a first-person browser, but they envision a future with a competitive marketplace where anyone can create a browser (similar to game distribution or web3 wallets). There is already a first browser that is part of the web called metaverse browser.
Profile viewers are a class of applications that allow users to view themselves, items they own, and their friends. They are similar to Steam accounts, but based onchain data. They will often be built into the metaverse browser, but there may also be mapps that browsers connect to.
NFT collections that import themselves into the Somnia protocol. This will allow them to be associated with interacting objects/avatars that can be used in different situations. The range of collection types is quite large, but here are some examples:
- PFP projects - BAYC, Pudgy penguins, Forgotten Runes.
- Existing metaverse collections - Sandbox, Decentraland.
- Placeable objects - Runestones, EtherRocks
Games - fully onchain, ever-evolving games
SocialFi - true ownership of social media accounts. Creators are not tied to a single platform and are free to move their content and subscribers between ecosystems, allowing freedom and control.
Metaverse - creating interacting virtual societies. Developers can create worlds with seamless interoperability, allowing assets, avatars and experiences to move from one virtual environment to another. Metaverses are end user experiences where people can engage with each other in some form. This could be in an interactive game, a concert style experience or a formal meeting/workplace. The MSquared project will be one of the major applications to be built on top of the Somnia chain and protocol.
DeFi - fully onchain limit order books (LOBs)
Real-time applications. This goes beyond the above categories and ultimately any web2 style application can now be built on web3 rails, offering the best of both worlds.
Ecosystem
The Somnia ecosystem goes beyond its own blockchain. It includes a set of omnichain protocols that connect experiences, making them seamless and interoperable.
Somnia has also created a frontend for non-Web3 people to interact with the network (metaverse browser) and an experience engine based on interoperable open source MML technology (playground).
In addition, various content and experience engines are integrated into Somnia today.
The Somnia protocols address three key challenges: enabling the free movement of users and assets, facilitating unrestricted commerce, and accelerating the composability of experiences and objects. Together, these protocols create the base layer for a collaborative and open content ecosystem:
- SOM0 - Enabling Asset Compatibility and Commercialization
- SOM1 - Creating composable virtual assets and experiences
SOM0 - This is the initial set of protocols that Somnia will work with.
- Object Protocol - This protocol allows:
(i) users to create virtual objects that can exist and move between applications on the network (and store metadata about those objects); and
(ii) if allowed by the relevant licensing terms, also allows users to adapt existing objects, such as NFTs, from outside the network so that they can exist and move between applications on the network, while storing metadata about those objects. - Attestation Protocol - this protocol allows network participants to give attestations about places, objects, and people.
- Marketplace protocol - this protocol provides a global liquidity layer that allows dApp owners and creators to sell objects, such as NFTs, in any virtual space that is part of the Network.
In SOM0, all protocols are compatible with multiple blockchain networks, which is called the “omni-chain”.
The SOM1 protocol enables the creation of composite and interacting virtual worlds by combining the concepts of blockchain technology and game design architecture with vertical and horizontal composability:
- Vertical composability - anyone can add new “things” to the world at will, in the form of new addresses
- Horizontal composability - anyone can add new “systems” to the world at will, in the form of smart contracts.
In SOM1, Everything is an entity. Every entity is an address. To extend an existing NFT and make it an entity in SOM1, a mapping between NFT and entity must be created.
The Nft metadata component will allow entities associated with the NFT to write their off-chain metadata into the SOM1 protocol using oracles. This will allow other components to create functionality based on this data.
The SOM1 protocol can support a wide range of applications, from entertainment and gaming to education and virtual workspaces. Here are some examples:
- Autonomous Objects: Objects in SOM1 can have their own addresses, making them “autonomous objects.” These objects can interact in the virtual world just like any other user, opening the door to new interactive possibilities.
- Dynamic NFTs: By extending existing NFTs, the SOM1 protocol can allow them to have dynamically updated metadata. This would allow NFTs to change over time, gaining new characteristics and rarity. Imagine a saleable creature that evolves as the player uses it in an experience.
Marketplace Protocol
- Each app owner participating on the Network will be able to sell products on their app, and each content creator on that app will be able to sell their products on the app owner's store. Each app owner will be responsible for deploying, operating, and maintaining these marketplaces. This includes creating the front-end (either web-based or engine-based), payment processing, and other user-centric flows.
- The Marketplace Protocol allows all app owners/content creators to upload their goods to an in-app marketplace where digital goods from any app can be uploaded and sold in the same place. This will be a “one-stop marketplace” for all goods available for sale across all apps on the Web.
- The Marketplace protocol will be an “omni-chain” to enable global liquidity and sale of NFTs between two parties on any two supported open blockchain networks.
- Technically, any NFT could be offered for sale in the Marketplace protocol. However, in reality, it's expected that virtual objects (i.e., objects created using the Object Protocol) will be used mostly.
The Marketplace Protocol only provides a platform for such trading. Applications built on this protocol will define a set of rules for what can and cannot be sold, as well as the fee structures associated with authorized sales. The Marketplace Protocol only requires compliance with protocol fees and creator fees.
To help application owners create their own marketplaces, a trading platform front-end template has been developed. It is web-based and allows you to implement all the basic functionality of a marketplace (object listing, bidding, shopping, etc.). It integrates directly with Web3 wallets for payment and is supported by the Marketplace Protocol.
Creating an omni-chain Marketplace Protocol. The proposed approach is to use the LayerZero protocol, which provides a base layer for interoperability between different blockchains. This will ensure that all transactions on the Marketplace are secure and that all digital assets retain their value and functionality regardless of which blockchain they move to.
