Overview
ComputeNet uses a specialized consensus mechanism designed for verified compute coordination. Unlike traditional blockchain consensus that orders transactions, ComputeNet consensus focuses on agreeing on compute results and their proofs.
Consensus Goals
The consensus mechanism is designed to achieve:
- Finality — Verified results cannot be reversed
- Liveness — Jobs are processed in bounded time
- Safety — Invalid results are never finalized
- Efficiency — Minimal overhead for verification
Consensus Flow
The consensus process for a compute job proceeds as follows:
- Proposal — Primary validator proposes a result with proof
- Verification — Committee validators verify the proof
- Attestation — Verifiers sign attestations
- Aggregation — Attestations are aggregated
- Finalization — Result is finalized when threshold is reached
Consensus Parameters
Verification threshold
2/3 + 1
Committee size
Variable (testnet)
Epoch duration
TBD
Finality time
TBD
Validator Selection
For each compute job, a committee of validators is selected to participate in consensus. Selection is based on:
- Stake weight
- Historical performance
- Geographic distribution
- Computational capacity
Slashing Conditions
Validators can be slashed for consensus violations:
- Attesting to invalid proofs
- Double-signing conflicting results
- Extended downtime during assigned duties
- Collusion with other validators
Experimental Status
The consensus mechanism is under active research. Parameters and mechanisms may change significantly before mainnet.