Blockchains based on Erlang and Elixir have become a hot topic where progress is being made and not just being spoken about. One of the leading projects in the space is æternity. They are betting that a functional programming language such as Erlang is the solution to blockchain scalability and reliability. æternity has put together a team of well-known professionals from the Erlang/Elixir communities, including Ulf Wiger, John Hughes and Erik Stenman. Guided by Yanislav Malahov, æternity’s founder, these brilliant minds are building a next generation blockchain.



æternity is a decentralised æpps platform. It scales through state channels that run smart contracts. It introduces a new language that supports formal verification and allows to write simpler, safer code. The VM accommodates compiled Solidity contracts. æternity uses an ASIC-resistant, memory-bound Proof-of-Work (PoW) with less than 15 seconds block time. It features an integrated naming system and oracles, which could be used to request and access data from various data providers.



Most importantly, all components are native features of the æternity system. They are not meta layers on top of a blockchain (like Lightning, Raiden, Oraclize), but parts of the core protocol. This ensures unmatched efficiency and significantly reduces the cost of running smart contracts and making lightning fast transactions.



The æternity team will visit London to give a series of short talks on their challenges and achievements, from developing the core platform to oracles and smart contracts.



Schedule:



18.00: Yanislav Malahov/Emin Mahrt - An introduction to æternity: The Decentralised æpps Blockchain



Having exchanged ideas and pursued blockchain endeavors with many of the greatest minds, Yanislav is a true veteran in the blockchain space. The "Godfather of Ethereum" envisioned powerful algorithms on blockchains in 2013. With æternity, his vision is becoming reality.



18.40: Ulf Wiger - Challenges and Advantages of using Erlang in Cryptocurrencies



Ulf Wiger became one of the first commercial users of Erlang when he bought a license in 1993. In 1996, he joined Ericsson and became Chief Designer of the AXD 301 development, arguably the most complex system ever built in Erlang. In recent years, Ulf has been involved in products based on the AXD 301 architecture and has been an active member of the Open Source Erlang community. In February 2009 he became CTO of Erlang Solutions. He is currently working on the æternity Blockchain.



19.10: Phillipp Piwowarsky - Blockchain Development with Elixir



Phillipp is a long time blockchain enthusiast and software developer. He loves bringing his passion and knowledge into developing scalable and innovative solutions, as well as educating others about blockchain technology.



Break for pizza and drinks



19.40: Tobias Lindah - VM and Language on æternity Blockchain



Tobias is an Erlang expert with experience ranging from architecting and implementing large scale high availability systems to deep diving in the Erlang language implementation. Formerly a researcher in program language design and static analysis, at Klarna Tobias pushed the boundaries of what an Erlang system can do to keep up with extreme growth. Tobias is a member of the core development team, implementing the Ethereum VM in Erlang to run Solidity contracts on the æternity blockchain.



20.10: Thomas Arts - Using Property-Based Testing in Blockchain and P2P Networks



Thomas is a senior scientist and Erlang expert. He worked together with Joe Armstrong, the inventor of Erlang, at Computer Science lab in the 1990's. He holds over 20 years of experience in programming Erlang, as well as strong scientific experience, accompanied by an ability to read and understand scientific papers in theoretical computer science. Thomas excels in translating scientific theory in practical applications. He is one of the main developers of the QuickCheck testing tool.