Axelar, a cross-chain protocol, and tech giant Microsoft recently announced a partnership aimed at bridging public and private blockchains. The collaboration involves Axelar joining Microsoft’s Azure marketplace, marking it as the first cross-chain protocol to be listed on the popular developer’s online store.
By joining the Azure marketplace, Axelar gains access to a vast network of tens of thousands of companies that utilize Azure, Microsoft’s renowned cloud service. This development is expected to have a significant impact on products that combine established internet technology with public blockchains in ways that offer meaningful benefits to users, according to Galen Moore, a spokesperson for Axelar.
Through the Azure marketplace, developers will be able to leverage Axelar’s tools, such as the AxelarJS software development kit (SDK) and its general message-passing capabilities. These tools enable developers to seamlessly integrate functionalities independently of blockchains and databases.
Additionally, the partnership between Axelar and Microsoft aims to explore the integration of public and private blockchains to support artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Sergey Gorbunov, co-founder of Axelar, emphasized the importance of trust in AI systems and how it should be established across multiple layers. Gorbunov highlighted key questions that need to be answered to ensure trust in AI, such as the integrity of the training data, the presence of private data in models, the accuracy of query results, and the verification of data origins.
Microsoft and Axelar partnership
According to Gorbunov, combining private and public blockchains can address these challenges. He noted that blockchains provide a means to establish trust, prevent tampering with data, and maintain data privacy within specific jurisdictions. Furthermore, connections to public blockchains can facilitate the verification and establishment of trust across all consumers, regardless of where they access the data.
Microsoft’s Azure marketplace currently hosts over 25,000 applications and services for developers and businesses. A search on the platform reveals at least 200 solutions powered by blockchain technology, indicating the growing interest and adoption of blockchain within the developer community.
Axelar, as a cross-chain protocol, currently supports 43 blockchains. In its Series B funding round last year, the company successfully raised $35 million, surpassing a market valuation of $1 billion. Notable participants in the funding round included Dragonfly Capital, Polychain Capital, and North Island Ventures.
The partnership between Axelar and Microsoft signifies a significant step in the convergence of blockchain technology with mainstream cloud services. It showcases the potential for cross-chain protocols to enhance the capabilities of existing internet technologies and foster the integration of blockchain and AI, ultimately contributing to the advancement of trustworthy and secure digital solutions.
