1 Department of Computer Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, ND 58105, USA.
2 Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, San Francisco Bay University, Fremont, CA 94539, USA.
3 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Dhaka-1229, Bangladesh.
4 Department of Computer Science, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, USA.
Review Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 22(01), 151-162
Received on 22 February 2024; revised on 30 March 2024; accepted on 01 April 2024
This paper introduces BlockNIC, an innovative blockchain infrastructure designed to operate exclusively on SmartNICs. Unlike traditional blockchain implementations, BlockNIC leverages the unique capabilities of SmartNICs to execute relatively simple computations directly on the network path, eliminating the need for additional hardware and reducing reliance on host CPUs. By harnessing idle resources within the network, BlockNIC significantly reduces energy consumption and hardware requirements, addressing the environmental concerns associated with conventional blockchain architectures. Through comprehensive performance comparisons between SmartNICs and bare-metal servers, this study demonstrates the promising potential of BlockNIC in achieving scalability, security, and environmental sustainability in blockchain networks. The findings highlight BlockNIC's ability to enhance overall performance and reliability while minimizing resource limitations, thereby unlocking new possibilities for various applications and use cases previously hindered by energy and hardware constraints.
The emergence of BlockNIC aligns with the global sustainability agenda, offering a timely solution to the environmental challenges posed by traditional blockchain technologies. By promoting the adoption of SmartNIC-based blockchain infrastructures, this research contributes to a greener and more secure digital future. It emphasizes the importance of exploring innovative approaches to address the environmental impact of technological innovations, urging researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers to recognize the transformative potential of SmartNIC-based solutions in advancing sustainability and efficiency in blockchain ecosystems.
Blockchain; SmartNIC; Performance Enhancement; Security Enhancement; Scalability; Energy Efficiency; Environmental Sustainability; Hardware Offloading.
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Rahmanul Hoque, Md. Maniruzzaman, Daniel Lucky Michael and Mahmudul Hoque. Empowering blockchain with SmartNIC: Enhancing performance, security, and scalability. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 22(1), 151-162. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.22.1.1026