Neutron
Neutron, a permission-less zone featuring CosmWasm and full IBC capability (including Interchain Accounts and Queries) to host the Interchain’s infrastructure and DeFi protocols. Developed by P2P. It is designed to be the premier venue for Interchain Smart-Contract deployment: Built with the Cosmos SDK, Neutron features native support for CosmWasm, a virtual machine that allows smart contracts written in Rust, AssemblyScript and other coding languages to run on Cosmos blockchains. The resulting smart-contracts have significant benefits over the release of code into an Appchain’s binary: they benefit from a large library of testing tools, are easier to deploy and upgrade, and can be audited more efficiently. To protect its ecosystem from the get go, Neutron would be secured by 175 validators and roughly 186M staked ATOM, worth $1.5Bn at the time of writing. This is made possible by a technology called Interchain Security, which lets validators from a Provider-Chain (e.g. the Cosmos Hub) produce blocks for a Consumer-Chain (e.g. Neutron). Node operators are rewarded with additional native tokens, but can be sanctioned if they fail to validate the Consumer-Chain. In a nutshell, Interchain Security would provide Neutron with the same degree of security as the Cosmos Hub, the 10th largest blockchain by value staked. Neutron is Interchain-oriented: it supports the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol (IBC), Interchain Accounts (ICA), as well as Interchain Queries (ICQ), at launch. Initially, Interchain Queries will be provided by a custom implementation developed by P2P, and upgraded to the official release once it is available. This allows any protocol deploying on Neutron to effortlessly communicate with the rest of IBC, and enables complex operations such as interchain liquid staking or cross-chain collateralization. Last but not least, Neutron is permission-less: it is an open platform where anyone can deploy code to join the Interchain’s economy. Neutron is a neutral foundation on which anything can be built. It does not presume the worth of a project, and does not favor the interests of a protocol over that of another. Neutron is a public-good, owned by the community, by its users.