The Next Trend: Concurrent EVM, Beyond Parallel EVM

🌟 Everyone is looking forward to the next big thing: Parallel EVM. However, a more advanced technology — Concurrent EVM — is quietly emerging. 🔧 Concurrent processing is key to implementing distributed transaction processing, allowing the system to interact with the outside world while transactions are being executed. In contrast, parallel processing merely speeds up the process without enabling such interaction.

🤔 How to differentiate between parallel and concurrent?

🏃‍♂ In a parallel system, transactions run like marathon runners, each on their own without interaction. The focus of parallel system design is to prevent these “runners” from colliding, i.e., to prevent transactions from conflicting.

⚽ On the other hand, concurrency is like a football team where members collaborate, passing and coordinating to complete tasks, and can even interact with the coach on the sidelines to adjust tactics. ALUX employs this concurrent technology.

🔍 The difference between parallel and concurrent might seem minimal, but the technical challenges are worlds apart. Parallel processing is relatively straightforward with many solutions. Concurrent processing, however, faces two core challenges:

1. How to eliminate the non-determinism in concurrent transactions through recording and replaying a replay log;
2. How to implement concurrency control in consensus and execution mechanisms to ensure transactions are ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability).

💻 In the EVM running on ALUX, operations like curr_price = rest_api.call(“binance.com/price/BTC-USDT”).parse() are possible. 🔗 This means oracles and relayers can be directly integrated on-chain, transforming blockchain from an autistic patient into a social butterfly.

💡 Currently, only ALUX has achieved this feat of concurrent processing, while other technologies are still exploring parallel processing. Today’s public chains mostly serve as decentralized “ledgers” 📚, lacking the ability to interact with the external world.

🌐 In the architecture of Web 2.0, nearly all services are based on concurrent async / await code, and ALUX is the first public chain to empower EVM with this capability. This significantly broadens the scope and possibilities of blockchain technology, marking a transition from simple decentralized ledgers to full-fledged decentralized servers.