Chiba University unveils algorithm to reduce blockchain delay in IoT networks

Researchers from Chiba University have developed a lightweight peer-selection algorithm that significantly reduces data propagation delays without increasing resource usage on internet of things (IoT) devices. 

The Japanese university’s development team believe that the vision of a fully connected world is rapidly becoming a reality through IoT, including everything from small sensors to autonomous vehicles and industrial equipment.

And to ensure this data is secure and not tampered with, engineers are increasingly turning to blockchain as a promising solution being a decentralised, trustworthy means of communication and specifically a promising solution for secure data sharing in IoT networks. Blockchain systems are seen as a promising solution to the growing complexity of IoT networks that continue to grow in size, but often suffer from high latency that limits time-sensitive applications, with existing blockchain systems can be too slow for the split-second decisions required in real-world IoT environments.

The primary cause of this sluggishness was not the blockchain protocol itself, according to the university researchers, but the disorganised way the nodes within peer-to-peer networks communicate. They also noted that previous research has ignored how the overarching shape of these connections – referred to as the ‘network topology’ – affects speed in IoT-blockchain systems.

To address this knowledge gap, a research team led by Kien Nguyen, associate professor at the Institute for Advanced Academic Research/Graduate School of Informatics at Chiba University in Japan, investigated how to streamline operations in IoT-blockchain networks. Their study, published in the journal IEEE transactions on network and service management, investigated how the structure of peer-to-peer blockchain networks affects IoT-blockchain performance, examining the impact of different network topologies on performance and introducing a new method to keep data moving efficiently.

“We aimed to bridge the gap between theoretical design and practical deployment of IoT-blockchain systems by identifying the fundamental causes of their high latency and proposing a decentralised solution that is both simple and effective,” said Nguyen.

To understand the root cause of the delays, the researchers implemented a method to generate different network topologies and connect simulated blockchain clients. After analysing various representative cases, they showed that the decentralised nature of IoT networks often leads to redundant data transmission.

Specifically, they found that the current protocols for sharing “transactions” – that is, the individual data entries – and “blocks” – the larger bundles of verified records – can cause an exponential increase in data copies. The researchers said this results in network congestion and queuing delays, particularly when nodes are connected in a way that creates too many overlapping paths.

In response to this problem, the researchers developed Dual Perigee, what the team called a “lightweight” and decentralised algorithm that allows each node to intelligently choose its preferred “neighbours” in the network. Instead of sticking with a series of random connections, a node using Dual Perigee assigns scores to its peers based on how quickly they deliver both individual transactions and full blocks. If a neighbour is consistently slow, the node automatically disconnects and tries new peers.

After testing in a simulated 50-node IoT environment, the Dual Perigee algorithm reduced block-related delays by 48.54% compared to the standard approach used in the widely known Ethereum blockchain. It was also said to have outperformed state-of-the-art methods, such as the original Perigee algorithm, by over 23%. The researchers said they achieved these gains without adding extra computational strain to the IoT devices themselves, as the algorithm relies on “passive” measurements of data that the devices were already receiving and requires only minimal calculations.

The key intended outcome is that the entire network self-organises into a high-speed configuration without needing a central controller. The researchers firmly believe that work has significant implications across many technological fields. By minimising the time it takes for a blockchain to confirm and share data, the system thus becomes responsive enough for time-sensitive tasks.

“The proposed decentralised latency-aware peer-selection mechanism can serve as a foundation for future blockchain platforms that support real-time, mission-critical IoT services, ultimately enabling more secure, responsive and trustworthy digital infrastructures,” added Nguyen. “Our approach can be applied to emerging IoT-based services that require fast and reliable data sharing, such as smart cities, smart homes, industrial monitoring, healthcare systems and supply-chain tracking.”