Google Blockchain Cloud Service to launch with Startups Digital Asset and BlockApps
In announcement made ahead of the conference, the tech giant confirmed it’s partnerships with blockchain startups BlockApps and Digital Asset yesterday 23rd July, stating:
“Customers can now explore ways they might use distributed ledger technology (DLT) frameworks on Google’s Cloud Platform (GCP).”
Digital Asset specialises in distributed ledger technology (DLT) solutions for the financial services industry, and has already landed significant contracts such as with the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), and built strategic partnerships that include PwC and Accenture.
Google is one of the select few technology partners chosen to participate in Digital Asset’s limited beta for the Digital Asset Modeling Language (DAML) toolkit preview, and the DAML Platform-as-a-service will also be provided on the Google Cloud.
The New York based startup, released a statement on July 23rd, explaining that their partnership “will reduce the technical barriers to DLT application development”, Digital Asset CEO, Blythe Masters, also stated:
“We’re partnering with Google Cloud to provide developers with a full stack solution so they can unleash the potential for web-paced innovation in blockchain,”
BlockApps is the first company incubated out of ConSensys, one of the world’s largest blockchain companies and counts Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum, on it’s advisory board.
BlockApps also released a statement that opened with a warm welcome to the tech behemoth:
“Google’s entrance into the blockchain space is a landmark event for the growing blockchain ecosystem and cements the continued investment in blockchain solutions for Enterprises.
BlockApps enterprise Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) entitled ‘STRATO’ is based on the Ethereum protocol, it is designed to enable rapid-deployment for enterprises to integrate traditional SQL databases with blockchain data. The company stated:
“Application developers will find STRATO familiar, easy to use, and easy to integrate with existing enterprise systems.”
Unlike Microsoft Azure and AWS, Google are not launching with the two most popular blockchain platforms on board, Ethereum and Hyperledger, however Google did state that their customers will be able to:
“try open-source integrations for Hyperledger Fabric and Ethereum later this year in our GCP Marketplace,”
Although Google may be one of the last cloud giants to offer blockchain technology to it’s customers, this in no way reflects their investment in the field. A report released by CBInsights, cited Google as the second most active blockchain investor between 2012 and 2017.
Back in March, Google’s VP of Advertising confirmed that it was “actively looking” at blockchain technology, and in the same month Bloomberg reported that unnamed sources had said that Google is working on its own distributed ledger, to enable third parties to post and verify transactions.
