Among the rising tides of the digital landscape, Google Cloud has intensified its involvement in the blockchain realm as it announced the introduction of 11 new blockchains to its BigQuery program, broadening its array of services to provide blockchain data at the fingertips of users. As mentioned by James Tromas and Alberto Martin, key heads of web3 at the company, the move is informed by the growing demands of various entities from blockchain foundations to developers and customers seeking a broader, clearer view of the crypto scene.
The thrust of this expansion is not without grounds. Several probing yet important questions like: “How many NFTs were minted today across three specific chains?”, “How does transaction fees compare across chains?” and “How many active wallets are on the top EVM chains?”, need reliable answers. By adding these new networks – Avalanche, Near, Fantom, Optimism, Polygon among others, to its BigQuery programs, Google Cloud is aiming to allow users to succinctly query on-chain transaction history off-chain, comprehend asset flows from wallets and gain insights into user interaction with a smart contract.
However, this leap is not without its own risks, one of which is the constant volatility of the crypto sector. As Google Cloud announced these additions amid what can be called a ‘crypto winter,’ it seems to be banking on the belief that the long-term benefits and potentials of blockchain technology outweigh its present risks. Furthermore, the argument can be made that centralizing access to blockchain data from multiple chains might violate the decentralized ethos upon which the world of crypto is built.
Nonetheless, this progression is also coming with improved offerings for developers. Aside from enhancing the existing blockchain dataset with the integration of Satoshis (sats) and Ordinals, Google Cloud has further detailed plans to invest more in the sector, most notably by partnering with leading infrastructure firms. These developments suggest a recognition of the need for smarter UNIT256 integration and BIGNUMERIC support, which is a positive indication of the expected precision in data access and computation.
Google Cloud appears to have taken a path of significant evolution from the typical processes of node acquisition and development for data indexing. Instead, it offers an off-chain process that could hopefully provide an easier computation experience for its users, thereby aligning the accessibility of blockchain data with their regular data. This move echoes the Google Cloud’s belief in the future of blockchain technology and its potential integration into everyday use.
Source: Cryptonews
