New Releases, Integrations, and Real-World Traction

Across R&D, adoption, and ecosystem growth, we’ve pushed IOTA closer to becoming the global infrastructure that brings the real world on-chain. Here’s a look at what we built, shipped, and scaled over the past quarter.

Research & Development

Q3 has been a productive quarter for our R&D department, with significant progress across multiple initiatives.

Starfish Consensus Mechanism

In Q3, we successfully deployed the non-sharded version of Starfish onto Devnet. This implementation alternates between Starfish and Mysticeti, enabling our team to gather comparative data and gain deeper insights into the distinct behavioral patterns and performance characteristics of each consensus mechanism.

The non-sharded implementation represents a critical foundation for achieving the complete version of Starfish. The key difference is that the non-sharded version broadcasts complete transaction data, while the complete version uses erasure coding to break data into encoded shards for more efficient dissemination. Our codebase is now substantially complete, with the primary remaining component being the decoding portion. This puts us in an excellent position as we look ahead to Q4, when we aim to bring the sharded version of Starfish to Devnet.

Even with the deployment of the complete version, our work on Starfish will be far from complete. Consensus mechanisms of this sophistication require continuous refinement, and we have a robust roadmap of subsequent improvements planned. Over the coming months, we’ll iterate on the implementation, optimizing performance, and fine-tuning the mechanism based on empirical data and evolving network requirements.

IOTA Names

In Q3, the team released IOTA Names on Testnet, our first user-facing decentralized application. IOTA Names is a naming service that lets users register human-readable names instead of using lengthy hexadecimal addresses. This simplifies token transfers and identity representation on the network while minimizing the risk of errors.

The application comes with features like subdomains and an auction system for acquiring names. The Testnet version is currently available at https://testnet.iotanames.com/, and we’re evaluating the requirements for a Mainnet deployment.

Validator Reputation Score

The Validator Reputation Score has been deployed on Mainnet, allowing each node to track its own interpretation of scores for other validators. In Q4, further use cases are planned.

Move View Functions

Move View Functions have been developed, enhancing access to detailed data of on-chain objects and improving developer experience. We plan to ship this to Testnet in Q4.

Account Abstraction

Multiple prototype implementations of Account Abstraction were finalized in Q3. It enables on-chain objects to function as accounts with dynamic authentication schemes. A core version will be deployed onto Devnet in Q4.

SDK v2

SDK v2 will be maintained separately from the monorepo for faster compilation, providing bindings in various programming languages, making IOTA development more accessible. A beta version is expected in Q4.

Product Adoption

The Product Adoption team focused on turning IOTA’s public infrastructure into production-ready tools while supporting partners for real-world deployment.

Business Innovation Program

Three more partners were accepted into the Business Innovation Program, which we’ll introduce soon.

Significant Releases

IOTA Notarization was launched, enabling a lightweight method to anchor documents on the IOTA ledger for regulatory compliance and transparency. IOTA Hierarchies was released to structure decentralized identities, aligning with governance and compliance.

Outreach

The team highlighted IOTA’s progress at the TUM Blockchain Conference, marking an increasing recognition of IOTA-based solutions in sustainability and identity domains.

TWIN and TLIP

TWIN was adopted by Salus to tokenize trade documents on the IOTA ledger. The first version of the decentralized storage component was completed, enhancing data rights management.

The Trade Logistics Information Pipeline (TLIP) integrated with the Kenya Ports Authority to facilitate seamless data sharing of port information for cargo movement.

Ecosystem Department

Q3 was also marked by IOTA’s 10th anniversary celebrations at Token2049 in Singapore, showcasing IOTA’s relevance and maturity in the Web3 landscape. Activities ranged from keynotes and panels to student hackathons.

Infrastructure and DeFi Initiatives

Switchboard Oracles went live on IOTA Layer 1, enhancing smart contract development. The validator committee expanded, contributing to increased decentralization.

On the DeFi front, Houdini Swap and Virtue Money offered cross-chain access and minted stablecoins, enhancing the DeFi landscape on IOTA.

Campaigns and Growth

LiquidLink-powered points campaign launched, incentivizing protocol participation. GiveRep was deployed to provide on-chain reputation infrastructure, enhancing transparency and user engagement.

Legal & Regulatory Affairs

IOTA secured a Sharia compliance certificate for its token. Engagements with regulators across Asia and feedback on digital asset regulations were pursued for constructive outreach.

Communications and Social Media

We garnered significant organic impressions and excelled in social media engagement, even amidst reduced visibility. Consistent follower growth continued across platforms.

Outlook

The IOTA Foundation is focused on simple access to technology. Upcoming initiatives will continue to enhance developer relations, resources, and communication regarding trade and supply chain focus.