The “Internet Computer” has announced a roadmap for 2022, stating that interfaces for Bitcoin and Ethereum will be available by the end of the year. The direct Bitcoin integration will be available as part of Dfinity’s “Chromium Satoshi Release” in Q1 2022. It will use “Chain Key cryptography” to bring smart contracts to the Bitcoin blockchain, eliminating the need for a bridge that opens the network to malicious actors.
What is an Internet computer?
The Internet Computer is a public blockchain and protocol that enables developers to easily deploy smart contracts and decentralised applications (DApps) on the blockchain. In May 2021, Dfinity, a non-profit organisation located in Zurich, incubated and released it after years of development.
“Smart contracts on the Internet Computer will be able to retain, transfer, and receive Bitcoin without the need for private keys,” said Dfinity’s Director of Product, Diego Prats, in a roadmap post on Jan. 29.
According to Dfinity community member Berto Parga Pena “Chain Key cryptography is one of the basic innovations enabling the Internet Computer to expand to millions of nodes.”