POKT Network, the user-governed platform building a Universal RPC Base Layer, has announced the launch of three new gateways: Developer DAO, Porters (backed by Raid Guild), and Chainstack. This strategic addition aims to provide more developers with read/write access to over 60 blockchains by leveraging POKT Network's decentralized infrastructure.

Gateways: Unlocking Unprecedented Data Access

Gateways serve as independent access points to the POKT Network, playing a crucial role in improving data accessibility and network performance. Each Gateway is built directly on POKT Network's universal RPC base layer infrastructure, eliminating the need for businesses to build and maintain their own underlying infrastructure. This innovative approach allows entities like Developer DAO, Porters, and Chainstack to operate as independent RPC businesses with significantly reduced time-to-market, lower operating expenditure, and more resources to focus on their core offerings.

The true power of Gateways lies in their ability to enable businesses, whether centralized or decentralized, to resell access to infrastructure by leveraging a blockchain protocol as the central coordinating party. This unique business model delivers the benefits of vertical integration through a decentralized network rather than a single centralized entity, ensuring that more businesses can share in the rewards.

Dermot O'Riordan, Director at the POKT Network Foundation, highlighted the significance of this milestone, stating, "The introduction of these three key new Gateways marks a key step forward for POKT Network and the broader ecosystem. In the same way that L2s radically improved scalability at the application layer, our Gateways enable builders to easily plug into POKT's cost-effective, reliable, and scalable DePIN infrastructure without compromising on performance or UX. By accommodating access and demand on a scale previously unseen, we're not just expanding the capabilities of our network, we're laying the groundwork for a future where access to any large open data source is unfettered, secure, and universally available."

The Gateway Strategy: Accelerating Growth and Scalability

Since its inception in 2017, POKT Network has developed a leading decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN), achieving unmatched resilience, scalability, and cost-efficiency. The network guarantees 100% uptime, under 25 ms latency across over 60 blockchains, supported by about 15,000 nodes in 22 countries, at a cost of $0.85 per million API requests.

Initially operating with a single Gateway, POKT Network witnessed the launch of its second Gateway in October 2023, which quickly accounted for about 30% of network volume, highlighting the impact of new Gateways on POKT's capacity. This marked the beginning of an accelerated strategy rollout. With the integration of a third Gateway in March and today's launch of three more, POKT Network increases its Gateway count to six, a rapid expansion from just one seven months ago, signifying a significant scaling of the Gateway strategy.

Daniel Olshansky, Head of Protocol at POKT Network, emphasized the transformative potential of the Gateway strategy, stating, "POKT Network's Gateway strategy offers developers and RPC providers an effortless way to leverage RPC infrastructure with enterprise-level quality-of-service atop a permissionless and decentralized RPC infrastructure network, without having to build and maintain it themselves. The key breakthrough is the ability to decouple roles and responsibilities. Protocol participants maintain efficient infrastructure, Gateways focus on performance, and users get access to reliable, performant, and cost-effective services."

Meet the New Gateways

Developer DAO

Founded by EigenLayer's Nader Dabit, Developer DAO is the first Gateway to be owned and operated by a DAO, channeling RPC revenues back into public good. Its emphasis on community and extensive network of builders will further drive innovation and network growth. By strategically partnering with leading blockchain networks, Developer DAO highlights a model where technology advances common good.

Porters

Drawing on technical talent from the leading web3 developer collective Raid Guild, which has supported nearly 200 web3 development projects, Porters will deliver features and services at an unprecedented pace, all while adhering to open-source principles. Porters envisions a new era of decentralized infrastructure—a platform built by developers, for developers—ushering in a new wave of innovation and empowerment.

Chainstack

As one of the largest and most respected RPC businesses and providers in Infura's multichain RPC network DIN, Chainstack is primed to channel significant volume to the network from the onset, using POKT Network to hyperscale to new chains and further elevate their existing resilience. Anticipating an initial relay volume of ~100 million relays per day, Chainstack signals its intent to scale operations rapidly.

The Importance of Reliable RPCs

The first DePIN report from Blockworks Research emphasizes the importance of reliable RPCs, stating, "As the number of blockchains and rollups continue to grow, and their collective needs get even more demanding, with higher throughput and shorter block times, the need for performant RPCs for every blockchain has become very clear."

In a world where machine-to-machine (M2M) communication is rapidly evolving, the demand for reliable and scalable infrastructure is paramount. POKT Network's Gateway strategy addresses this need by enabling businesses to tap into a decentralized infrastructure without the burden of building and maintaining their own systems.

Case Study: Infura's Outage and the Need for Decentralization

The significance of decentralized infrastructure was highlighted during Infura's outage in November 2023, which impacted a substantial portion of the Ethereum ecosystem. This event underscored the importance of having multiple RPC providers and decentralized infrastructure to ensure resilience and uninterrupted access to blockchain data.

By embracing a decentralized approach and welcoming new Gateways, POKT Network is paving the way for a future where access to blockchain data is not only reliable but also universally available, fostering innovation and enabling developers to focus on building cutting-edge applications without worrying about infrastructure constraints.

As the blockchain ecosystem continues to evolve and expand, POKT Network's Gateway strategy positions it as a leading force in enabling seamless access to open data sources, empowering developers and enterprises to unlock the full potential of decentralized technologies.