New research from MIT highlights that decentralization is not just a philosophical stance—it’s a method to improve efficiency in large systems. Muriel Médard, co-founder and CEO of Optimum, explained that centralized control fails as systems scale, while distributing functions can significantly increase performance.
In blockchain, decentralization typically means distributing decision-making and validation across multiple independent participants. This prevents any single authority from altering system rules or halting transactions, ensuring resilience and transparency.
“The first rule of control is observability. You can’t control something you don’t observe—and observability doesn’t scale,” Médard said at TOKEN2049 in Singapore.
Her research shows that as networks grow, centralization becomes inefficient, and decentralization provides a natural solution to scaling challenges.
From Wireless Networks to Blockchain
Médard’s findings are rooted in earlier MIT studies on wireless communication. Her team demonstrated that distributing functions across transmitters can make large-scale networks far more energy-efficient and reliable than centralized alternatives.
Applying these insights to blockchain, her team created a new network layer called mumP2P. This system was tested on Ethereum’s Hoodi testnet, where it successfully spread blocks 6.5 times faster than Ethereum’s current Gossipsub protocol.
Faster Data Sharing for Ethereum and Solana
The mumP2P layer operates like a blockchain memory system, improving the way nodes share and store data. Faster data propagation reduces latency, which could:
According to Optimum, this kind of improvement allows Ethereum and Solana networks to operate more efficiently, making them behave less like relay systems and more like integrated trading networks.
“Even with a six-times improvement over Ethereum, blockchain still operates much slower than traditional finance,” said Kanny Lee, founder of the decentralized exchange protocol SecondSwap.
However, Lee added that faster propagation creates a more efficient on-chain environment, making it harder for traders to exploit timing gaps and improving market fairness.
How mumP2P Works
Médard’s mumP2P protocol builds on decades of research funded by the U.S. military on reliable communication networks. By using distributed memory and mathematical principles, mumP2P ensures that block data is shared quickly and consistently across a decentralized network of nodes.
The system mimics a computer’s operating system memory, which coordinates data flow efficiently. In blockchain, this approach addresses one of the key bottlenecks: slow block propagation between nodes.
Implications for Ethereum and Solana Users
For Ethereum and Solana users, the benefits of faster block propagation include:
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Reduced transaction confirmation times, enabling traders to execute orders more quickly
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Lower gas or transaction fees due to improved efficiency
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Better market responsiveness, particularly in arbitrage and decentralized finance (DeFi) operations
These improvements could transform how participants interact with blockchain networks, especially for large-scale applications requiring quick updates and low-latency transactions.
Decentralization Beyond Ideology
Médard emphasized that decentralization isn’t an ideological choice but a practical solution to scaling large systems.
“Control doesn’t scale. Once a system grows, any attempt to centralize functions leads to inefficiency and failure,” she said.
By applying these principles to blockchain, the mumP2P system demonstrates that distributed networks outperform centralized designs in both speed and resilience.
The Future of Blockchain Infrastructure
As blockchain networks continue to grow, innovations like mumP2P could reshape infrastructure design. Faster block propagation improves user experience, supports advanced financial applications, and enhances overall network reliability.
Médard’s research also suggests that future improvements may shift the competitive edge from speed alone to access and network participation, particularly in scenarios involving locked tokens, vesting schedules, and structured token distributions.
“Markets increasingly trade on timing and access, not latency,” Lee explained.
In other words, as infrastructure evolves, decentralized networks could enable more equitable participation while maintaining high efficiency.
Conclusion
MIT’s Muriel Médard has provided compelling evidence that decentralization is key to scaling blockchain systems efficiently. Her mumP2P protocol demonstrates that distributing network functions can accelerate block propagation by 6.5×, offering tangible improvements for Ethereum and Solana.
While these innovations won’t instantly match the speed of traditional finance, they promise a more responsive, lower-cost, and efficient blockchain environment, paving the way for broader adoption and more complex on-chain applications.
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