Axelar partners with Microsoft for hybrid blockchain solutions

On July 11, cross-chain protocol Axelar and tech giant Microsoft announced a partnership to bridge public and private blockchains. The collaboration will see Axelar joining Microsoft’s Azure marketplace, becoming the first cross-chain protocol listed on the developer’s online store.

Galen Moore, Axelar’s spokesperson, told Cointelegraph that the initiative would enable Axelar to reach tens of thousands of companies that use Azure, Microsoft’s cloud service. “This has tremendous potential for products that integrate established internet technology with public blockchains in ways that are meaningful for users,” Moore stated.

In the marketplace, developers will have access to tools via the AxelarJS software development kit (SDK), as well as Axelar’s general message passing, which helps developers integrate functionality independently of blockchains and databases.

The companies will also explore the integration of public and private blockchains to support artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Speaking on the nature of these solutions, Axelar co-founder, Sergey Gorbunov, explained that trust in AI needs to come from multiple layers:

“Are the models trained on the data that they’re supposed to be on? Did any private data leak into the models? Are the queries sent to the AI returning accurate results? Can we verify the origins of the data? Without answers to these questions, it’s hard to integrate AI to be a “member” of our societies.“

According to Gorbunov, combining private and public blockchains is the answer. “Blockchains can help establish roots of trust, make sure the data is not tampered with, and keep it hidden within specified jurisdictions,” he said, adding that “connections to public blockchains can be used to prove and establish trust across all consumers, no matter where they query the data from.“

Over 25,000 applications and services are available in Azure’s marketplace for developers and businesses, the company’s website states. A search on the platform reveals at least 200 solutions powered by blockchain technology.

Axelar currently supports 43 blockchains. Last year, it raised $35 million in Series B funding, lifting its market value above $1 billion. Some of the participants in the round include Dragonfly Capital, Polychain Capital and North Island Ventures.

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