Microsoft has partnered with decentralized blockchain infrastructure provider Ankr to provide a novel node hosting service on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. In addition, the partnership will see an integration of technology from both companies, pairing Ankr’s blockchain infrastructure with Microsoft’s cloud solutions.
Per Ankr, the enterprise node deployment service will offer low-latency blockchain connections for Web3 projects so that developers can instead spend their time scaling their applications. The service relays transactions, deploys smart contracts and can read or write blockchain data.
By upgrading its load balancer to use Azure-based routing solutions, Ankr said the firm would be able to further scale its transactions processes by efficiently routing Remote Procedure Call requests to the best-suited nodes. With the technological integration, clients will be able to manage node hosting solutions with the choice of custom specifications for memory, bandwidth and global location for blockchain nodes. Chandler Song, co-founder and CEO of Ankr, commented on the development:
“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.”
Rashmi Misra, Microsoft’s general manager of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, stated, “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.”
Cointelegraph previously reported on May 14, 2021, that Microsoft shut down its Azure Blockchain Service with no official explanation. On Dec. 15, 2022, the American technology giant banned cryptocurrency mining on its cloud services, citing the need to protect its online services from risks such as cyber fraud, attacks and unauthorized access to customer resources.