MATRIX AI Network (MAN) is a global open-source, public, intelligent blockchain-based distributed computing platform and operating system that combines artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain. MATRIX was created to make blockchains faster, more flexible, more secure, and more intelligent. Besides boasting an impressive 50.000 transactions per second, there are a couple of features which makes Matrix AI Network stand out from its competitors. Matrix adopts a Hybrid PoS + PoW consensus mechanism instead of the traditional Hash computations. The mechanism makes use of value-added computation through the use of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) computations. This computation set is to be used as the Proof-of-Work protocol. This allows the mining process to not only generate MAN tokens but to also be used to power real-world applications. Currently being used in collaboration with Beijing cancer Research hospital to improve speed and accuracy of a cancer diagnosis. While the project seems ambitious with the integration of a working AI in so many areas, the AI-part is already done. Matrix now only has to deliver a working blockchain solution. MATRIX will be launching several community activities after its testnet launch, including a Bug Bounty Program and a Dapp competition, as well as introducing the MATRIX Blockchain Browser and Online Wallet Prototype. Details and instructions will be shared over the coming weeks. Full manner is set to launch December 2018. The MATRIX mining machine is set to launch for sale end of the year 2018.
Counterparty is a platform for user-created assets on Bitcoin. It’s a protocol, set of specifications, and an API. Taken together, it allows users to create and trade assets on top of Bitcoin’s blockchain. In this way, Counterparty is similar to platforms like Waves or Ethereum. Of course, the difference is Counterparty integrates directly with Bitcoin. Therefore, it comes will all the security and reliability (and issues) that are part of the Bitcoin blockchain. This is a fairly old project. In fact, it pre-dates Ethereum with its launch in 2014. It was the original asset creation mechanism. As you’re probably aware, Counterparty has faded from prominence over the years. This is largely due to the rise of the ERC-20 token standard on Ethereum. While we’ve become used to calling blockchain assets, tokens, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. An asset can represent anything that has value or is rare. As a result, Counterparty steers clear of the word “token” in their marketing and documentation. They’re much more interested in digital assets of all kinds, not just currencies, securities, and utility tokens. Digital assets can be a digital marker of a physical object, an easy way to manage shares in your company, or reputation karma for a website. These are all types of assets you could create on Counterparty (or Ethereum or Waves, for that matter). Counterparty creates the set of rules, requirements, integrations, etc that are necessary for assets on the Bitcoin blockchain. It’s the infrastructure behind user-created assets in much the same way that the ERC-20 protocol sets up guidelines and standards for asset creation on Ethereum. One useful function of digital assets is as a marker of ownership or voting rights. Imagine a scenario where you issued a digital asset to each of your company’s board members in proportion to the amount of voting power held. Or if you gave your stockholders a digital asset as a marker of the amount of stock they owned. If you issued your stock asset, you could then use Counterparty’s distribution function to pay out dividends in BTC based on the amount of digital stock asset each person owned. Counterparty addresses many of the same issues as Ethereum or Waves, but on the Bitcoin blockchain. While that does come with some advantages, ultimately it is not as strong a platform for development as its competitors. It’s best suited for applications that need to interface with Bitcoin or assets that have a specific connection to the Bitcoin ecosystem.