I Adventure into Blockchain
Blockchain, a super cool concept, is in the spotlight now. What can it bring to us besides Bitcoin? What logic is behind the development and research of this genius innovation? But most importantly, do you ever have a careful thought----You are most likely to use it in your industry!
Hyperchain gives GMSCM visitors an answer. Boasting of being a Unicorn start-up with a two-year short history, Hyperchain’s core team is from Zhejiang University. Ramping up the size and influence fast like most high-tech new blood, it now attracts 1.5 billion RMB funds.
Blockchain’s history dates back to Bitcoin. A blockchain, is a growing list of records, called blocks, which are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. The logic of this technology, by design, is its resistance to modification of the data. Once recorded and managed among all parties involved, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without alteration of all subsequent blocks, which requires consensus of the network majority.
Commercially speaking, the application of technology now expands to 3 forms—Public Blockchain, Private Blockchain and Alliance Blockchain. In the data-driven era, its ambition is to authorize and verify data, assets transactions and enhance sector ecosystem cooperation.
Then rack your brains to apply this idea to industry sectors? Hyperchain is prepared to inspire. For a leading player within an ecosystem, blockchain is a powerful tool to empower the tycoon (e.g, aircraft or automotive OEM) to authorize its suppliers to pass down the product order and receivables encoded in blockchain to sub-tier suppliers without real step-by-step traditional transactions. In this way, the low-end sub-suppliers have more leverage towards financing and business operation. The industry tycoon is also given more influence on sub-suppliers.
Application scenarios can never drain. Data asset is only one example. Data receipt, counterfeiting proof, and numbers can be encoded too. Logistics, Business membership credits, bank transaction receipt, bidding and supplier selection, blacklisted information…There’s no limit than our mind.
Be watchful what blockchain can disrupt our traditional life as GMSCM is now doing.
II Industry Maze of Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba is admittedly the spokesman of China E-world. But what is inside the empire and in what way it connects to the industry rather than trade and consumer market? GMSCM takes a look at Alibaba Cloud-a business unit targeting the digital solutions for traditional industrial sectors.
Alibaba Cloud has eye-catching performance with its market share ranking 3rd worldwide among public cloud provider. Its secret recipe for digitalization is three-fold---to B, Intelligent and ecosystem. The rationale behind the strategy is that Alibaba Cloud partners up with industry leaders, provides hardware and software solutions, and enables interaction, upgrading, application of data for different end-users by building master digital platforms.
Its flagship product AliET industrial brain is a good explainer. It goes through validation and verification process. Industrial brain’s data originates from specialist knowledge and experience; by extracting the wealth of human knowledge, industrial brain processes it with designed algorithm and makes it digital; then industrial brain apply the digitalized knowledge to real design, production, sales and service process. Statistics show that AliET has helped HengYi Group to reduce coal consumption by 2.6%; GCL to increase its silicon slice yield rate by 1%; Trinasolar to increase its battery chip A rate by 7%...
But Alibaba Cloud has bigger dream. Digital brain is the beginning. By accumulating industry data and apply its products to the real world, Alibaba Cloud’s next step is towards a multi-purpose master platform that empowers digitalization of numerous industry sectors.
The platform sounds like a follower of GE Predix. But in light of GE’s failure, Alibaba Cloud is well aware of its technology and business roadmap. Going slow and stable is a good thing. Going deep into a particular industry sector and making Alibaba Cloud’s product to be a recognized success is the first task. Also industry sectors have different standards and how to infuse them into one single platform looms large ahead.
However, Alibaba Cloud is admirable. Innovation is Great.
GMSCM will be eager to see more applications and revolutions brought to us by Alibaba Cloud.
(GMSCM 2018 ZHENG Yinxiao)