Revolutionizing the Cloud and Edge Architecture for the Future of Artificial Intelligence

• Theta EdgeCloud, launching 2024, will merge cloud and edge architectures, revolutionizing artificial intelligence in video, media and entertainment.
• In 2025, EdgeCloud will deploy a hybrid computing platform, with community edge nodes, optimizing tasks through an open marketplace.

The advent of the new annual cycle portends a cardinal metamorphosis in the Theta Network, underscored by the inauguration of Theta EdgeCloud in 2024. This first-of-its-kind platform merges the best of cloud and edge architectures, built on a fully distributed edge paradigm.

The preceding partnership with Google, which culminated in the Video-to-Text innovation, and the increasing demand for sophisticated resources for artificial intelligence projects in the Theta Ecosystem, such as Lavita and FedML, have been crucial drivers in the birth of Theta EdgeCloud.

This development bodes well for artificial intelligence in video, media and entertainment. Inaddition, the coming year holds enhancements to Theta’s Video API, the release of new subchains and TNT20, as well as the expansion of TDROPcapabilities on ThetaDrop and other related platforms.

Introducing the 2024 Theta Roadmap – featuring the latest on EdgeCloud’s upcoming releases and everything else in store for Theta in the coming year!https://t.co/omC8U5eJ3W

— Theta Network (@Theta_Network) January 27, 2024

Initial Semester 2024

• EdgeCloud, cutting edge of edge networking, inaugural release
• Management of nodes located in the cloud by Theta
• Elite Booster features for EEN
• Virtual management and control console
• Hosting next-generation AI models in vision and language
• Theta Hackathon – Focus on Metachain/EdgeCloud/DePIN
• Novel adoption indicators and sub-chain statistics
• Support for new ecosystem startups, subchains, staking of TNT20
• Theta Video API enhancements
• Standalone support for NFT DRM in streaming and VoD

Advanced metrics console

Photo by Kevin Ku

The first half of 2024 will be distinguished by the introduction of EdgeCloud, the next generation of Theta’s Edge Network, with cloud nodes operated by Theta Labs. These nodes will deploy generative AI models for video and image, readying for deployment among partners and the Theta community.

Elite Node participants will also have the option to activate a new “Elite Booster” module to run computational tasks for EdgeCloud, betting 500k TFUEL.

The Theta Hackathon, planned for Q2, will focus on Metachain, EdgeCloud and more. Various subchains and TNT20 tokens will be presented, underpinned by new metrics and statistics to monitor the growth of Theta Metachain and ecosystem projects.

The Theta Video API will also incorporate several advanced features, including a metrics dashboard and the addition of NFT DRM at the standalone studio level, making it possible for any user to exploit the same NFT DRM tools that Decrypt, MetaCannes and World of Women employ for their events.

Subsequent Semester 2024

• EdgeCloud, the next generation of edge networking, secondary launch
• Ability for partners to configure and operate nodes located in their own cloud, data centers
• Support for advanced task prioritization and opt-out option
• Synthesized reporting/analysis of completed tasks
• Support for distributed persistent and temporary storage for computational tasks
• Fully decentralized Theta Video API for DRM, transcoding and delivery
• Next-generation Theta Web3 Theater integrated into ThetaDrop and associated platforms
• Amplification of TDROP uses to partner markets

In the 2H 2024 release of EdgeCloud, partners and end users will begin managing their own EdgeCloud nodes in data centers or on their cloud infrastructure, along with the ability to prioritize certain types of tasks for processing and/or opt-out of specific tasks on the network and completed task analytics.

This is an intermediate release in preparation for a fully decentralized EdgeCloud model where community-operated edge nodes can participate in the hybrid cloud architecture.

The Theta Video API will also become more decentralized with an additional update that supports standard NFT DRM encoding in a decentralized environment.

Theta Web3 Theater, a new video experience that natively integrates Theta’s NFT DRM, will also launch on ThetaDrop as well as other partner marketplaces. This will coincide with the expansion of TDROP functionality to Theta’s partner platforms to increase the use of Theta’s NFT across the ecosystem.

2025 and Beyond

• EdgeCloud, the next generation of edge networking, tertiary launch
• Deployment of the first hybrid cloud computing platform built on a fully distributed edge architecture
• Task and load market
• Optimization of task supply and demand
• API interface for developers

In 2025 and beyond, new applications will continue to be pushed into the Theta Ecosystem with more details as the end of the year approaches, but a key element will be the full launch of EdgeCloud, where edge nodes operated by community members will work harmoniously and in tandem with cloud-operated infrastructure.

An “intelligent coordinator group” will direct any incoming task to the most suitable node based on task type, urgency, performance, cost and other service level parameters.

Tasks and uploads will be completed through an open marketplace that allows customers to submit tasks to EdgeCloud and the amount they are willing to pay nodes to complete them in TFUEL or TNT20 tokens, while nodes running EdgeCloud can choose which tasks they want to complete (or opt to configure their node to complete any submitted task).

Node operators and clients will also benefit from a developer API interface that allows them to submit or complete tasks programmatically.

The Theta roadmap is always evolving and will be updated as new use cases and products emerge, but this update is the outline of what to expect in Theta development in the coming year.

The network will continue to grow to meet new use cases with the help of the community operating Edge Nodes, developing ecosystem projects and building the future of the network.