IBM has launched the first enterprise-strength Blockchain as a Service, based on The Linux Foundation’s open source Hyperledger Fabric version 1.0.
IBM Blockchain, which lets developers quickly establish highly secure blockchain networks on the IBM cloud, is a transformative step in being able to deploy high-speed, secure business transactions through the network on a large scale, the company said.
The platform offers the world’s safest Linux infrastructure, with tamper-responsive hardware security modules, a highly auditable operating environment, protection from insider attacks, and secure service containers, according to IBM.
“IBM developers were very substantial contributors to the Hyperledger Fabric project, and they have also been great at pulling developers from other companies into the center of the development process,” noted Brian Behlendorf, executive director of Hyperledger.
“This means the architecture has been scrutinized by a much wider community than you might otherwise see for a commercial project, and there are many different commercial options for support available,”
Hyperledger — an open source consortium of companies in finance, banking, IoT and other industries — was created to advance blockchain technologies.
Hyperledger Fabric is the project designed to implement blockchain technologies into applications or solutions.
IBM Blockchain for Hyperledger Fabric v1.0 is available through a beta program on IBM Bluemix. Hyperledger Fabric is available on Docker Hub as an IBM-certified image for download at no cost.
In a related announcement, IBM and SecureKey Technologies said they will launch a new digital identity network for Canadian consumers based on IBM Blockchain. The network currently is undergoing tests in Canada and is scheduled to go live later this year. Consumers will be able to opt in through a mobile app.
IBM also announced the world’s first blockchain-based green asset management platform under a deal with Energy Blockchain Labs to help lower emissions in China.
A beta version of the platform will be released in May.
