AO ‘Supercomputer’ Token Launch: Release Date, Features & Analyst Views

It’s no surprise to see the crypto community eagerly awaiting the launch of ao Computer’s AO token on June 13, 2024. After all, a token launch with “zero pre-mine, pre-sales, preferential access” is a rarity in 2024.

ao Computer, a protocol based on decentralized data storage layer Arweave (AR), is doing just that.

What is ao Computer, and how can you mint AO tokens at launch? Let’s find out.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What Is ao Computer?
3. What Makes ao Computer Special?
4. How Does AO Computer Work?
5. All You Need to Know about AO Token Launch
6. Analyst Views on ao Computer
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What Is ao Computer?
3. What Makes ao Computer Special?
Show Full Guide
4. How Does AO Computer Work?
5. All You Need to Know about AO Token Launch
6. Analyst Views on ao Computer
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

What Is ao Computer?

ao Computer is a computing network built on top of Arweave. All transactions and messages executed on ao Computer are stored on Arweave.

The network calls itself the “hyper parallel computer” because it can run any number of processes simultaneously.

ao Computer launched its testnet in February 2024. The protocol will launch its native token, AO, on June 13, 2024. ao Computer said:

“ao’s core objective is to enable trustless and cooperating compute services without any practical bounds on scale. This allows for a radically new design space of applications that were not previously possible: Blending the benefits of smart contract applications (services without requiring trust in anything but code), and traditional compute environments (Amazon EC2, etc.).”

What Makes ao Computer Special?

Let’s talk about the key features of ao Computer:

High Scalability With Parallel Processing

ao Computer is designed to be a highly scalable network that runs processes in parallel. This is achieved by allowing applications to function independently without having to maintain a shared global state as required in traditional smart contract protocols such as Ethereum (ETH).

The processes share the available computational resources on the network while operating in parallel. ao’s messaging system ensures that computational resources are allocated efficiently to accelerate processing times.

Lazy Evaluation

ao Computer does not require network nodes to perform any computation in order to reach consensus. The protocol uses a feature called lazy evaluation to achieve consensus.

In lazy evaluation, instead of all nodes constantly evaluating the state of a contract, a client reading the contract is responsible for evaluating the state.

This feature incentivizes specialized nodes that process state updates when required or when requested by a user.

Data Stored on Arweave

ao Computer uses Arweave as a data availability layer. Applications and smart contracts on ao can load and execute data of any size directly into Arweave’s immutable data storage layer.

Data stored on Arweave allows anyone to independently verify transactions executed on ao Computer.

Modular Architecture

ao Computer has a modular architecture that allows users to choose between various virtual machines, sequencing models, message-passing security guarantees, and payment options that work best for them.

The network also allows existing smart contract systems (Warp, MEM) to easily plug into its system and interact with its ecosystem.

More Than a Smart Contract Platform

The decoupling of the consensus mechanism frees up nodes and expands the capabilities of ao Computer beyond the limits of traditional smart contract platforms.

According to its website, ao Computer is designed to support extensive data handling and complex computational tasks such as machine learning applications, large language models, and high-compute autonomous agents, as seen on decentralized compute networks such as Akash (AKT).

“By decoupling the consensus mechanism from the state of computations, the AO computer sidesteps the scalability issues that plague traditional blockchain networks. This opens up new possibilities for decentralized applications, allowing them to operate without the size, form, and speed limitations that current consensus models impose,” said Perma DAO in a blog post.

AI on AO.
6/20. 1100 EST.

Over the last few months we have made a number of key breakthroughs to accelerate AI on @aoTheComputer.

➡️ Full LLMs (Llama 3 and many others) running inside AO smart contracts — capable of making financial decisions.
➡️ WASM64 support allowing up to… pic.twitter.com/nuwA7ej75r

— 🐘🔗 sam.arweave.dev (@samecwilliams) June 3, 2024

How Does AO Computer Work?

In addition to Arweave as its base layer, ao Computer is divided into three subnetworks. Each subnetwork has a specific function related to messaging, sequencing, and computing. They are as follows:

1. Messaging units (MU): When messages enter ao, they are first sent to the MU. The MU is responsible for relaying messages around the ao network. Users pay the MU a fee for their service.
2. Scheduler unit (SU): Next, the MU sends the message to a scheduler. The SU functions like a rollup sequencer. It gives a sequence number to the message and ensures that the message is uploaded to Arweave.
3. Compute unit (CU): Now, the MU will deliver the message to a CU. The CU will compute the message and find out the results of the operation.

All You Need to Know about AO Token Launch

AO will have its own token.

Existing models are broken. A radically new approach:

1️⃣ $AO will be 100% fair launch. Zero pre-mine, pre-sales, preferential access etc.
2️⃣ Every single token will be minted by bridging to AO, holding $AR, or building.
3️⃣ 21m, 4 year halving. pic.twitter.com/tK5XRLk6NB

— ao (@aoTheComputer) May 30, 2024

Analyst Views on ao Computer

Seth Bloomberg, research analyst at Messari, said that AO will create “consistent demand” for Arweave by providing a new platform for app development.

Bloomberg added that one of the biggest technological value propositions of ao Computer was its “separation of consensus mechanism from the computation,” which gives the protocol its modular architecture.

Elsewhere, @karl_0x of proprietary quantitative trading firm Thanefield Capital said the only way for new participants to acquire AO tokens is to buy AR tokens in the open market, which will create “a long-term buying pressure” on the Arweave token. He added:

“Contrary to other airdrops where insiders can take advantage of privileged information to scoop the supply for themselves with usual sybil tactics, the only way for Arweave whales to have substantial AO exposure is by remaining long-term $AR holders, which significantly reduces the selling pressure on the token.”

The Bottom Line

ao Computer developers have to be commended for their efforts to conduct a fair AO token launch, which is a rarity in the venture capital-dominated crypto industry today.

While we cannot say for sure how the AO token will perform at launch, experts have pointed out that the launch is expected to support the price of Arweave’s AR token.

FAQs