Lumen Technologies is providing high-speed edge computing infrastructure for node operations and developers on the Solana network to support its global community of blockchain validators, application programming interface providers and developers.     

The Solana Foundation, a blockchain nonprofit dedicated to growing the Solana network and increasing adoption, recently worked with Lumen to offer Edge Bare Metal services to developers and operators building on Solana.

Speed Read:

• With access to Lumen's hyper-distributed edge computing platform, the Solana Community can sidestep individual server investment and supply chain shortages with fully tested and approved-for-use servers, critical to ensuring adherence to industry Acceptable Use Policies (AUP).
• This promotes rapid expansion and further decentralizes the Solana network. Solana is one of the world's fastest growing blockchain ecosystems that can process tens of thousands of transactions per second.
• The Lumen platform's edge computing architecture and vast fiber connectivity provides the Solana Community with a fast, secure environment. It reduces latency and saves bandwidth with decentralized transactions at the edge of the network.

The Solana Foundation was able to design, source and implement this program with Lumen Edge Bare Metal by working with Inflect, a Lumen Channel Partner. Through the program, the Solana Communities receive cost-effective access to bare metal servers at Lumen's worldwide data centers.

A natural fit: Edge and blockchain technology

Edge computing meets blockchain's strong need for high performing infrastructure and unique specs for growth, security and decentralization and provides a seamless way to deploy and maintain a geographically diverse presence. In addition, it helps accelerate growth within the Solana Community by removing the need to purchase, implement and maintain physical hardware.

"Emerging technologies like blockchain demand what Lumen Edge Computing Solutions deliver-increased network security, performance and control," said Bryn Norton, vice president of specialized sales at Lumen. "Edge computing and blockchain are complementary partner technologies. Lumen meets the unique needs of blockchain with the breadth and reach of the Lumen platform providing a secure foundation. It's exciting to work with the Solana Foundation. It's energizing to help the Solana Community around the world deliver on their vision as the fastest growing blockchain company in the world."

Bringing blockchain into the mainstream

Most frequently associated with cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and Web3, the adoption of blockchain is increasing across multiple industries. As use cases for blockchain technology grow, it creates the need for access to a secure and highly distributed network of high-capacity servers.

"As more people start to use and build on the Solana network, having edge computing servers in top tier markets encourages the expansion and adoption of blockchain technology by broader, more traditional industries," said Dan Albert, executive director of the Solana Foundation. "Global supply chain shortages have made it hard for decentralized networks to access the resources they need to grow. By working with Lumen, we can provide node operators on the network easy access to fast, secure edge computing resources around the world."

Building a model

Inflect, a Lumen Channel Partner that specializes in internet infrastructure and connected solutions, recognized that Solana's innovative approach necessitated an innovative network provider. This partner had to be highly peered and able to securely route a lot of traffic quickly.

"We understood that Solana's rapid expansion and unique needs meant connecting them with the right IT partner was crucial," said Mike Nguyen, CEO of Inflect. "The Solana Foundation's global community requires access to highly distributed and performant servers at the edge of the network to scale quickly. We knew Lumen, as one of the world's largest networks, combined with their secure edge computing infrastructure that would be able to support Solana's blockchain requirements of decentralization and network performance."

With Lumen Edge Bare Metal, enterprises and emerging tech companies can benefit from:

• Superior application performance from running on edge nodes designed for 5 millisecond or less round-trip latency over the Lumen fiber network.
• Improved control and performance with the ability to run applications and workloads on a unified platform. Customers can focus efforts on developing applications and bringing them to market rather than on time-consuming infrastructure deployment.
• Enhanced security and connectivity with dedicated, single tenancy servers designed to isolate and protect data and deliver high-performance networking across the company's extensive and deeply peered global backbone. 
• Cost savings with the ability to turn bare metal servers on and off as needed with pay-as-you-go flexibility.