Introduction

Altius is a blockchain infrastructure designed to optimize or enhance blockchain networks’ speed, scalability, and efficiency. Its VM-agnostic execution framework ensures that blockchains are highly performant.

VM-agnostic execution framework is a system that allows smart contracts or decentralized applications (dApps) to run across the virtual machines (VM) of multiple blockchains without relying on any chain.

To ensure blockchains do not suffer congestion or throughput problems, Altius seamlessly integrates with all types of chains—L1s, L2s, and even application-specific chains. The result? Blockchains become more performant without needing any specialized hardware.

History

Altius was co-founded in 2024 by Annabelle Huang and Anit Chakraborty. The birth of Altius was sparked by the desire of these two blockchain experts to solve the problems of scalability, speed, and interoperability. They both came up with the name Altius, which means “higher” in Latin. The name symbolizes their goal of raising the bar for blockchain technology.

Annabelle Huang is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Anit Chakraborty is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Ivan Paskar is also a member of the core team. Ivan is the growth lead and was formerly a Senior Marketing Leader at Binance.

After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, Annabelle Huang started her professional career as an Investment Banking analyst at Deutsche Bank before moving to Nomura Securities, where she served in the FX and Rates Risk Advisory Department.

In 2018, she joined the decentralized exchange AirSwap, where she served as the Head of the Asia region. There, she focused on expanding the exchange’s presence in that region. However, her stay at AirSwap was short. The following year, she became a Managing Partner at the Amber Group before resigning to co-found Altius Labs.

Anit Chakraborty is a computer science graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is an experienced software engineer who has worked with Oracle and spent over 14 years as a founding engineer at Hudson River Trading.

Although Altius is a relatively new chip in the block, it has achieved some impressive milestones. In February 2025, it secured $11 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Founders Fund, Pantera Capital, Archetype, and Reforge, among other investors.

Altius has also released a roadmap that details some of its plans and timeline for each. Here are some of what Altius has done and plans to do:

Q1 2025: Launched the Altius Execution Engine Core, which supports EVM L1/L2.

Q2 2025: Expand its compatibility support for various Virtual Machines (VMs).

Q4: 2025: Launch its Shared Execution layer.

Q4 2026: Transition to an Open Execution network (OEN).

Features of the Altius Network: Altius Stack, Execution Core, Parallel Execution Engine, and Open Execution Network

Altius Stack

Altius stack is a Virtual Machine (VM)-agostic modular execution layer developed by Altius Labs to solve core blockchain and interoperability problems.

The Altius stack consists of several technologies that enhance scalability, performance, and efficiency. It also utilizes parallel execution and advanced state management to solve these core blockchain problems.

For context, parallel execution is a process by which blockchains process multiple transactions simultaneously, reducing transaction throughput. At the same time, advanced state management is a technique used to improve the way blockchain data is stored, updated, and accessed.

Altius Execution Core

The Altius execution core is a key feature of the Altius stack. Through its parallel execution engine and scalable data cache, it powers the Altius stack, enhancing fast blockchain transactions or throughput.

Parallel Execution Engine

Source: Altiuslabs.xyz

The parallel processing engine is another notable feature of the Altius stack, which ensures the parallel processing of blockchain transactions. When transactions are processed in parallel, they are processed simultaneously, which saves time.

The parallel processing of transactions helps increase transaction throughput and lowers blockchain latency. Latency refers to the time between submitting a transaction and finalizing or confirming it.

The parallel execution engine is made up of three key components:

• Deterministic OCC (Optimistic Concurrency Control with Deterministic Aborts): This helps process transactions in parallel and resolve conflicts promptly.
• Static Single Assignment (SSA): This helps track execution instructions.
• Scalable State Merkle Trie (SSMT): This helps manage state data.

Open Execution Network

Source: Altiuslabs.xyz

The open execution network is an Altius feature that allows nodes from any chain (Layer 1, Layer 2, or an application-specific) to access and leverage the execution capabilities without permission.

Execution rights are usually distributed, and executor nodes can contribute to computational resources to execute transactions, smart contracts, or other operations across any chain.

To qualify as an executor, a node must stake both the Altius native token and the tokens of the targeted chain. This dual-status model enhances network integrity and reliability, sharing rewards between executors and the chains they serve.

However, executors who fail to perform their execution roles honestly and are charged with manipulating or neglecting roles will face the penalty of having their tokens slashed. Thus, serving as a deterrent to potentially malicious nodes within the network.

Core Components of Altius: Parallel Scalable Storage, Instruction-Level Parallelism, and Application Code Assessor

Parallel Scalable Storage

For blockchains to be highly performant, each state needs to be properly managed. While traditional systems offer help with managing states, they can sometimes be inefficient, especially as the blockchain grows.

This problem is what the parallel scalable storage system on which Altius is built. The parallel scalable storage system uses sharded state management, distributed caching, and advanced data structures to make blockchains highly perfomant and less latent.

Sharded state management helps split data into smaller bits, known as shards. Distributed caching helps temporarily store data that can be easily retrieved. Advanced data structures help organize and store data systematically. All of these work together to make a blockchain more performant and efficient.

Some of the features of parallel scalable storage are:

• Dynamic load balancing: For even shard distribution.
• Concurrency-optimized algorithms: For parallel processing of transactions.
• Memory-first design: For faster access and fault tolerance.

Instruction-Level Parallelism

While traditional blockchain systems are prone to bottlenecks due to the sequential way they process transactions, Altius, on the other hand, utilizes an instructional-level parallelism (ILP) to process transactions.

Instruction-level parallelism is one of the pillars on which Altius is built. This system processes individual transactions concurrently to reduce conflicts. The result? Transactions are processed efficiently, and the blockchain becomes more performant.

Instruction-level parallelism is built on the principle of static single assignment (SSA), a technique that transforms smart contract bytecode to track instruction dependencies. This allows transactions to be executed concurrently.

The static single assignment works based on three core principles:

• Granular execution: This allows for instructions to be processed independently.
• Dependency graph analysis: This is used to manage instructions for optimal sequencing.
• Conflict minimalization: This reduces the re-execution of instructions after such instructions have been previously executed.

Application Code Assessor

The application code assessor is a core pillar on which Altius is built and functions. Since Altius prioritizes performance, the application code assessor module incentivizes developers to create smart contracts that maximize the parallel execution of transactions.

To ensure this reward for developers creating smart contracts stays in place, Altius constantly assesses and evaluates the chain, analyzing those creating smart contracts that maximize the parallel execution of transactions.

This evaluation is usually based on two major criteria:

• Transaction parallel degree: The higher the throughput, the better the parallelism.
• Total gas amount: The higher the gas consumed, the better the smart contract utilization.

How Does Altius Work?

Storage and Shards

Source: Altiuslabs.xyz

As the image above shows, sharding divides blockchain data into smaller, independent pieces called shards. The Altius blockchain network has several shards running. Each shard processes transactions and requests simultaneously, increasing the overall capacity of the Altius network. This approach is similar to adding more lanes to a congested road, allowing for smoother and faster traffic flow.

By creating multiple parallel pathways for data transmission, sharding enables the Altius blockchain to handle increased transaction volumes while improving its storage capacity. To ensure scalability, the shards in the Altius blockchain network run on commodity hardware, making it possible for updates and read/write actions to be performed concurrently within the Altius blockchain ecosystem.

Interpreter

Source: Altiuslabs.xyz

Altius’s VM-agnostic feature allows it to work with all types of virtual machines. This means users can plug any kind of virtual machine into the Altius infrastructure, making integration and optimization possible. Since the Altius blockchain network is modular, upgrades of integrated virtual machines are also possible.

Resolver

Source: Altiuslabs.xyz

To ensure faster transactions, Altius executes transactions at the transaction level and transforms bytecode into a static single assignment format.

Bytecodes are low-level, machine-readable versions of smart contracts. A static single assignment format reorganizes smart contract codes for easier optimization. This makes it easy for transactions to be processed in parallel, enhancing the scalability of the Altius blockchain network.

Coordinator

Source: Altiuslabs.xyz

Altius works by rewarding developers for writing efficient code. The more efficient codes written by developers within the Altius blockchain ecosystem, the less conflict in transaction execution and processing. The incentivized model helps maintain the efficiency of the Altius network.

Will Altius Have a Token?

The Altius team intends to launch its token soon. The ticker symbol and token distribution have yet to be confirmed. However, the team has successfully raised over $11 million at the pre-seed stage. The funds raised will be used to create a token for the ecosystem and also scale and improve the project.

Competitive Analysis: Altius vs Cosmos vs Polkadot

Altius could compete with Cosmos and Polkadot in the near future. Altius and Cosmos share a common goal of enabling seamless interactions between different blockchain ecosystems. However, their approaches differ significantly. Cosmos uses its Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol to facilitate communication and asset transfers between blockchains.

The Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) is a communication protocol that allows to communicate and relay messages with each other. Messages being passed between blockchains are passed in an ordered and authentic manner.

Although IBC Protocols help relay messages between blockchains, it is essential to note that they are not bridges. Utilizing smart contracts, IBC Protocols can send packets of information between blockchains.

In contrast, Altius focuses on providing high-performance, application-specific chains with seamless cross-chain interoperability at the protocol level. This eliminates the need for centralized solutions like bridges, offering a more decentralized and efficient experience.

Polkadot’s shared security model, where validators on the relay chain secure parachains, provides a robust security framework. However, this approach can limit the flexibility and customization of individual parachains. In contrast, Altius prioritizes high-performance and application-specific chains, allowing developers to create tailored solutions that meet the demands of Web2 applications.

The Relay chain is the central chain of the Polkadot network. It provides security, consensus, and interoperability to the entire Polkadot blockchain network. On the other hand, the paracain are blockchains connected to the relay chain. They run parallel within the Polkadot network and are used to host DEXs, build dApps, and build custom chains.

Altius, on the other hand, prioritizes high-performance and application-specific chains, allowing developers to create tailored solutions that meet the demands of Web2 applications.

Conclusion

The Altius team is gradually taking steps to achieve its goal of high performance, cross-chain interoperability, and web2-like equivalence for on-chain use cases. Further, the team has a clear roadmap and actively works towards its vision. To add a bit of icing to its cake, the Altius team has built a solid community of about 25K followers on Twitter in just a few months. Certainly, Altius could play an instrumental role in improving blockchain interoperability and throughput in the near future.