The team that created Givv started with a vision: creating a sustainable model to harness the power of idle infrastructure. Globally implemented, this concept would put an end to the wasted energy flowing through countless devices that sit idle in homes and offices. Businesses that need to muster computer resources on the largest scale to implement new technologies and innovations could do so for a fraction of the cost and without their own bulky equipment.

In creating such a system, Givv identified three main challenges that would have to be addressed: finding a way to incentivize individuals to contribute their PCs as nodes participating in distributed computing tasks while addressing security concerns, generating sufficient demand for computing resources and creating a robust dApp hosting platform through which consumers of distributed computing will be able to access the nodes participating in the platform.

Mass adoption

Getting the general public on the blockchain train has been a struggle from the get-go, largely due to the technology being very unintuitive, and partly as a result of popular misconceptions about its utility. But that’s been changing. Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin and blockchain have recently become buzzwords discussed by average people while the dramatic increase in the value of popular cryptocurrencies has captured the public imagination for financial reasons.

However, despite increased awareness of these technologies, participation still remains low because the technical barriers and perceived risks of becoming a node on the blockchain outweigh the potential benefits. Most people still lack a basic understanding of how it all works and fear of the unknown has helped create the false impression that it’s all part of the shady “darknet” where all could be lost in a risky investment.

Even for someone with a basic understanding of blockchain, it’s still a complicated business to install, configure and operate dApps and most mining programs are complex, command-line executable systems with very little in terms of user interface. But getting the general public to join the resource-sharing game is the next big step towards mass adoption of these new technologies. That means providing incentive and making the experience easy and intuitive while ensuring that individual security is never compromised.

Demand for computing resources

Server farms have long been used for web hosting but are now growing in popularity, supporting a wide range of scientific simulations, 3D computer generated imagery and, more recently, artificial intelligence. The availability of a blockchain ecosystem dedicated to such projects will encourage more companies to initiate ventures that depend upon distributed computing. In other words, if we build it, they will come.

Creating a dApp hosting platform

To facilitate the integration of so many nodes, a platform to make them accessible is required. Such a platform must be open, accessible and dependable, so that distributed computing consumers would make it their platform of choice.

The solutions to these challenges must be creative and intuitive, incentivizing PC owners to get on the blockchain and donate their computing resources. Givv’s model does just that.