Announcing the JAM Implementer’s Prize
The Web3 Foundation announces the JAM Implementer’s Prize, a 10 Million DOT prize pool aimed at fostering diversity in the development of the JAM protocol. The goal of this prize is to encourage the creation of multiple client implementations, enhancing the network’s resilience.
What is JAM?
JAM is a prospective path to replace the relay chain with a more modular, minimalistic design. JAM will allow Polkadot to run generic “services”, smart contract logic which can process the result of execution on cores. There will be a parachains service that can run existing Substrate-based parachains, meaning developers can still use Substrate to develop and deploy their own blockchains. These services will have no predefined limits on the amount of code, data, or state they can accommodate; services can deposit additional DOT for greater capacity.
The creation of new services is permissionless, without the friction of governance interaction under the current system. The design also includes some other technical improvements, such as replacing WebAssembly with the Polkadot Virtual Machine, based on the RISC-V ISA, and SAFROLE, a SNARK-based block production algorithm.
You can learn more about JAM in the Gray Paper.
Purpose of the JAM Implementer’s Prize
A truly decentralized protocol should be able to support multiple client implementations. The JAM Implementer’s Prize is designed to catalyze this by funding and supporting projects that contribute to the development of JAM implementations from the outset. We believe that supporting a range of implementations in various programming languages will strengthen the ecosystem’s foundation. It distributes the power of protocol implementers more widely and reduces the risk of a bug in one implementation taking down the entire network.
The JAM Implementer’s Prize will complement present and future funding initiatives that support Polkadot’s ecosystem and technology stack, such as Decentralized Futures, Grants, and Polkadot’s on-chain treasury.
The prize will be activated if and when JAM becomes ratified as a Polkadot technology via the network’s on-chain governance mechanism.
What are we looking for?
We are particularly interested in proposals that aim to implement the JAM protocol in diverse programming environments. As the full specification of JAM becomes available, we are looking to support teams that are enthusiastic about developing implementations in languages such as OCaml, Go, and Zig.
How to Apply
We are still finalizing the details of the application process, and more information will be published soon. However, we are eager to engage with potential participants early on. If you’re interested in applying for the JAM Implementer’s Prize, please fill out this form. Once the application details are finalized, we will reach out to you with more information on how to proceed.
