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Web3 infrastructure provider Ankr announced a partnership with Microsoft to offer a node hosting service for enterprises and organizations needing access to blockchain data.
According to the official press release shared with CryptoPotato, the deal will see an integration of technology of Ankr’s innovations in blockchain infrastructure with the software giant’s cloud solutions. The service seeks to offer “global, low-latency blockchain connections for any Web3 project or developer” to help them focus on innovating and scaling their applications.
Ankr-Microsoft Partnership
Ankr’s Co-Founder & CEO, Chandler Song, believes the move to bring the two parties together is a critical step in getting blockchain infrastructure to a growing sector of the digital economy. The exec further added,
“The partnership, while an incredible milestone for Ankr, is also a key indicator of how far the decentralized web has come in integrating with the crucial players in every layer of web systems. The end result will be an era of extremely prolific building for blockchain-based applications from new Web3 projects as well as large enterprises entering the space”
By combining Ankr’s solutions with Azure, the focus will be to provide a new avenue to attract users and serve a significant amount of RPC traffic through the combined services. This will help the Web3 companies needing dedicated nodes to relay transactions, deploy smart contracts, and read or write blockchain data with “reliability, performance, and security,” said Ankr in a statement.
Microsoft’s General Manager of AI & Emerging Technologies, Rashmi Misra, also echoed a similar sentiment. The exec said the two companies are building a strong Web3 infrastructure layer. She went on to add,
“Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Many developers and organizations are exploring how Web3 can help solve real-world business challenges, and our partnership with Ankr will enable them to access blockchain data in a reliable, scalable, and secure way.”
Meanwhile, the node hosting solution will also have a choice of custom specifications for blockchain nodes for memory, bandwidth, and global location catering to the various needs of a customer.
Microsoft’s Tryst With Crypto, Metaverse, Web3
Microsoft appears to have placed big bets on Web3 despite issuing a ban on crypto mining from cloud services. In December last year, the giant updated its Universal License Terms for Online Services to clarify that mining cryptocurrency is prohibited without prior approval.
More recently, the American multinational corporation ditched its metaverse plan to focus on ChatGPT. “Industrial Metaverse Core” was first introduced in October of last year. However, Microsoft is reportedly laying off all 100 core team members.