The Cosmos network consists of many independent, parallel blockchains, called zones, each powered by classical Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) consensus protocols like Tendermint (already used by platforms like ErisDB). Some zones act as hubs with respect to other zones, allowing many zones to interoperate through a shared hub. The architecture is a more general application of the Bitcoin sidechains concept, using classic BFT and Proof-of-Stake algorithms, instead of Proof-of-Work.Cosmos can interoperate with multiple other applications and cryptocurrencies, something other blockchains can’t do well. By creating a new zone, you can plug any blockchain system into the Cosmos hub and pass tokens back and forth between those zones, without the need for an intermediary. While the Cosmos Hub is a multi-asset distributed ledger, there is a special native token called the atom. Atoms have three use cases: as a spam-prevention mechanism, as staking tokens, and as a voting mechanism in governance. As a spam prevention mechanism, Atoms are used to pay fees. The fee may be proportional to the amount of computation required by the transaction, similar to Ethereum’s concept of “gas”. Fee distribution is done in-protocol and a protocol specification is described here. As staking tokens, Atoms can be “bonded” in order to earn block rewards. The economic security of the Cosmos Hub is a function of the amount of Atoms staked. The more Atoms that are collateralized, the more “skin” there is at stake and the higher the cost of attacking the network. Thus, the more Atoms there are bonded, the greater the economic security of the network. Atom holders may govern the Cosmos Hub by voting on proposals with their staked Atoms.
IONC is the official token of IONChain. It can be utilized by different participants in IONChain ecosystem. The maximum supply of IONC is 800 million. It is going to be released gradually for 20 years. After 20 years, the administrative committee elected by IONChain users using the consensus mechanism will decide whether to re-issue IONC tokens based on the amount of on-chain devices, amount of data being processed and the overall level of IONC abundance in the ecosystem. IoT devices and data access constitute the core parts of IONChain ecosystem, therefore IONC token is going to be used to reward devices and data providers. The yearly supply of IONC tokens increases along with the demand for data access. However, the upper limit is pre-set. IONC token is an indispensable part of the IONChain system as it is a single most crucial part of its ecIONChain aims to solve a wide range of the current problems of IoT networks in terms of data security, data circulation, data sharing and data transactions, thus enhancing the efficiency of the whole IoT ecosystem. IONChain introduces the concept of “One Device, One Coin, One Code” which facilitates the integration of IoT devices with the IONChain blockchain network. With the use of Edge Computing technology, it enables every device on the IoT network to be utilized as a mining machine, making every IoT device that uses IONChain subject to mining rewards. Owing to the use of blockchain technology, the data source will always be reliable and verifiable on the IONChain network. Furthermore, the value ofthe data is quantified and data transfers are fast and secured. This makes it easier for IoT standards to emerge, unlocks a plethora of new IoT application scenarios and boosts the whole industry to enter the next level of development.