In a brand new report, US-based hedge fund Pantera Capital has posited Solana because the ‘Mac OS’ of blockchains, paralleling its developmental technique and potential impression to that of Apple’s famend working system. Authored by Franklin Bi, Cosmo Jiang and Eric Wallach, the report delves deep into the structural dynamics and strategic positioning of blockchains throughout the tech trade.
The report begins by addressing a typical question concerning the future panorama of blockchain expertise: “What number of blockchains should exist?” Relatively than specializing in the quantity, the Pantera staff suggests a distinct perspective: “What’s the least variety of blockchains wanted to succeed in the expertise’s full potential?” This strategy goals to know the important traits that may permit sure blockchains to dominate the market.
The analogy to historic tech oligopolies is robust. “Traditionally, developer-facing applied sciences have converged round a small variety of dominant gamers – usually oligopolies of two or three, every with a definite strategy catering to totally different developer preferences.” It attracts on examples from the evolution of working techniques, gaming consoles, and cell platforms to foretell an identical trajectory for blockchains.
Why Solana Stands Out
In line with the Pantera Capital staff, Solana is rising as a formidable contender within the blockchain area, akin to Apple through the rise of non-public computing. “The shift is paying homage to Microsoft’s dominance of the early desktop laptop market, till Apple broke via with its vertically built-in strategy,” the report notes, suggesting that Solana’s built-in and monolithic structure might give it an identical aggressive edge.
The report elaborates on a number of benefits of SOL’s structure. First, Solana’s cohesive blockchain design avoids the complexities of bridging a number of chains, which simplifies each growth and consumer interplay.
By controlling its whole stack, the challenge can rapidly iterate and implement upgrades, an important issue within the fast-paced blockchain surroundings. Third, the diminished dependency on exterior parts and a simplified structure lower potential failure factors, enhancing the general stability and safety of the platform.
The authors additionally spotlight particular functions that showcase Solana’s capabilities and its impression on each builders and end-users. DRiP, a platform for distributing free collectibles, exemplifies how Solana’s excessive throughput and low transaction prices facilitate huge, cost-effective distributions of NFTs.
Equally, Hivemapper leverages Solana’s effectivity to course of massive volumes of geographic knowledge collected from drones and dashcams, offering real-time, decentralized mapping options that would problem established providers like Google Maps.
The report additionally underscores the blockchain’s progress metrics: “Solana’s distinctive energetic addresses have skyrocketed […] showcasing the platform’s staggering progress in consumer exercise,” additional supported by knowledge illustrating a surge in transaction charges and decentralized trade volumes, which point out sturdy and rising demand for SOL’s choices.
Concluding their evaluation, the Pantera staff expresses sturdy confidence in Solana’s future trajectory. “As extra builders acknowledge the benefits of constructing on Solana, we will count on to see a rising variety of modern tasks that capitalize on its high-performance blockchain,” they predict. This sentiment is bolstered by a sturdy developer ecosystem and a vibrant group, that are seen as crucial to the flexibility to outpace rivals and obtain sustained progress and relevance.
At press time, SOL traded at $123.90.
Featured picture from Bitget, chart from TradingView.com