Matthew Niemerg

In 2014, he obtained a Ph.D. in Mathematics, focusing on numerical algebraic geometry. He has been recognized as a Simons-Berkeley Fellow and an IBM Center of Excellence Fellow in High Performance Computing.

Despite initially disregarding blockchain technologies, in 2014 he embarked on a journey into the blockchain realm, beginning with trading and subsequently delving into the technology stack. He invested in pioneering projects and early-stage protocols, eventually moving into angel investing, particularly in pre-seed and seed-stage startups linked to the distributed ledger domain.

He parted ways with IBM in 2017 to dedicate himself to the blockchain industry, providing consulting services across various projects, with a skill set that spans from business strategy to complex technical issues.

He noticed specific inefficiencies in blockchain technology and a hesitation to integrate established mathematical tools and concepts. This led to the co-founding of Aleph Zero. At the core of any distributed system is its consensus protocol, which is crucial for achieving State Machine Replication (SMR)—essentially maintaining a consistent database state across numerous nodes with update authority.

Confronting the challenge of maintaining integrity in a network potentially controlled by a powerful adversary, he helped develop the Aleph Zero protocol. This protocol is a culmination of four decades of distributed systems research and represents the forefront of asynchronous Byzantine fault-tolerant protocols. Aleph Zero stands out by effectively addressing the blockchain trilemma, achieving a balance of decentralization, security, and scalability.

His private testnet boasts an impressive speed of 89,600 transactions per second and confirms transactions in just 0.416 seconds using 112 nodes spread across five continents.

Moreover, the Aleph Zero research team has pioneered the first-ever asynchronous distributed key generation protocol, introducing a randomness beacon—a vital component for secure multiparty computation, paving the way for private smart contracts on public ledgers.

This technological advancement facilitates developers in creating applications that not only grant users control over their data but also enable the encrypted sale of data, allowing decentralized applications (dApps) to perform machine learning tasks on this data.

He invites those interested in developing with the Aleph Zero technology stack or incorporating a private, permissioned ledger into their business to make contact and explore potential collaborations.