Demystifying Bitcoin (Keynote Abstract)

Abstract

This talk will explain the bitcoin algorithm from the distributed computing perspective, precisely define the underlying double-payment problem, and present a much simpler alternative to solve the problem without relying on consensus and consuming so much energy. Rachid Guerraoui is professor in Computer Science at EPFL where he leads the Distributed Computing Laboratory. He worked in the past with École des Mines de Paris, CEA Saclay, HP Labs in Palo Alto and MIT. He has been elected ACM Fellow and Professor of the College de France. He was awarded a Senior ERC Grant and a Google Focused Award.