Genius Yield | Atlas 2.0: PAB improvements and advanced UTxO features

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Genius Yield Team

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

9

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Atlas 2.0 improvements and advanced features leveraging the EUTxOs paradigm to its full potential. Introduce Cardano builders to new functionalities that foster innovation in the dApp ecosystem.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

Atlas 1.0 has already been open-sourced: https://github.com/geniusyield/atlas

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

If you are unfamiliar with Atlas, you can watch this introduction video. Atlas 2.0 will build on that and offer the following PAB improvements and advanced features:

Support of Native scripts and CIP support

Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building

This is will allow Atlas to build and interact with all Plutus script types: plutus-v1, plutus-v2, native scripts.

Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint

Integrate with CIP-0057 meta-specification defining the vocabulary and validation rules with which one can specify a Plutus contract interface.

Support of era primitives

Conway era primitives

Conway introduces new ledger format with additional fields in transaction. Atlas as an off-chain tool should abstract away involved complexity and allow to programmatically set these fields.

Support of transaction building primitives related to stake pools

Atlas currently lacks primitives to allow for stake pool related operations such as registration, de-registration.

Coin selection, dependency improvments and general improvements

Own Coin Selection algorithm

Current coin selection algorithm is out-sourced from cardano-wallet which leads to significant dependency overhead and limits our ability to quickly update supported GHC version.

UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions

Allow for fast building of transaction while avoiding reusing UTxOs.

Improvements to private testnet support

Current private testnet setup, lacks easy programmability

Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions

Transaction changing and parallelism offer powerful tools for developer to innovate and improve dApp interactions.

Improve Atlas utilities and helper functions

Better utilities help developers access new features, streamline development, and improve usability of Atlas.

Support of latest GHC version (9.10.1) and client side support

Update to GHC version 9.10.1 or later

Latest GHC version brings numerous improvements to WASM & JS backend, current version of Atlas is at GHC 9.2.8 which lacks the support of these backends in first place.

Exploration and utilisation of Atlas on client side in browsers

With updates to WASM backend, it's possible to do a foreign import of JavaScript function inside Haskell code and vice-versa. We plan to utilise these latest updates to support Atlas to easily run in browsers on client side.

Documentation, tutorial series and general improvements

Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

Data providers supported by Atlas offer a number of functionalities and data types that are not fully taken advantage of by Atlas.

Augment Atlas’ core transaction type primitive with more fields

Atlas’s transaction skeleton is the main interface used to build and manipulate transactions. Adding more fields will open up new operation possibilities for transactions on Atlas.

Overall Atlas maintenance and upgrades to latest Node version

The Atlas PAB must be regularly maintained and updated in order to keep it compatible with the blockchain and usable by developers.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Developers need tools and software to more easily build and scale applications and integrations on the Cardano blockchain. This proposal addresses that need directly.

The extended UTXO model of Cardano offers a lot of powerful features which, until now, have not been fully utilized by dApp developers.

The success of this project will be measured based directly on the impact and benefits brought to the Cardano developer community:

• Github activity: growth metrics based on github stars, opened issues, and forks
• Developer adoption: Number of projects and teams using Atlas

Atlas is fully open-sourced and available on Github for the community to track progress and verify that deliverables are met. We commit to the milestones based reporting and keep the community updated via our social media channels, as well.

• Telegram
• Discord
• Medium
• Twitter
• YouTube

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Genius Yield is the main contributor of Atlas 1.0 and possesses deep knowledge and understanding of the PAB architecture. Its track record demonstrates that the team is more than capable to execute on the deliverables of Atlas 2.0. Listen to this Learn Cardano episode to hear more from the team.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Support of Native scripts and CIP support

Time required: 2 months

Key Results:

• Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building
• Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint

Support of era primitives

Time required: 2 months

Key Results:

• Conway era primitives
• Stake pool related primitives

Coin selection, dependency improvements and general improvements

Time required: 2 months

Key Results:

• Own coin selection algorithm.
• UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions 
• Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions
•  Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

Support of the latest GHC version (9.10.1) and client-side support

Time required: 2 months

Key Results:

• Update to GHC version 9.10.1 or later
• Exploration and utilisation of Atlas on client side in browsers

Documentation, tutorial series and general improvements

Time required: 1 month

Key Results:

• Up-to-date documentation of all improvements
• Tutorial covering basic use-cases and new features.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Laurent Bellandi - Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

Laurent is a serial entrepreneur who has focused on digital/online businesses for over 20 years. Lately he co-founded both Genius Yield, one of the most innovative DeFi protocols, and the Genius X accelerator. At Genius X he manages the day-to-day operations of the program and launchpad operating team, formulating the long-term business strategy and leading strategic decisions.

Dr. Lars Brünjes - Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder

Lars is a mathematician and Haskell developer. As Director of Education at Input Output Global (IOG), the engineering research company behind the development of the Cardano blockchain, Lars has taught thousands of people how to build smart contracts. As Chief Technology Officer of Genius X (and Genius Yield), Lars leads research & development with the technical team, and has written the smart contract code for Genius X Launchpad, and other products on the Genius X platform.

Dr. Sothy Kol-Men - Chief Regulatory Officer & Co-Founder

Sothy has over 20 years of experience in digital finance, investments, building new ventures, and regulation. He is a legal expert, guiding Genius X (and Genius Yield) through legal and regulatory matters for fintech rules and regulatory compliance, particularly for the Genius X Launchpad. Sothy is also a highly regarded professional in the Swiss and European crypto network, where he leverages his network for originating high-potential founders and projects for the Genius X Accelerator Program.

Dikemba Balogu - Chief Financial Officer

Dikemba is finance professional with years of experience in portfolio management, equity research, capital markets, valuation, and financial planning. As Chief Financial Officer of Genius Yield and Genius X, Dikemba leads financial planning and forecasting, profit optimization strategies for products, long-term product development and strategy, and token economics. Dikemba has advised 20+ startups on business strategy, token valuation, creating token utilities, token distribution schedules, and budgeting and forecasting.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Deliverable 1: Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 2: Support for including Transaction Metadata

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 3: Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint

$50/hr x 7 weeks x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 4: UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions

$50/hr x 7 weeks x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 5: Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 6: Improve Atlas utilities and helper functions

$50/hr x 7 week x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 7: Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

$50/hr x 7 weeks x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 8: Augment Atlas’ core transaction type primitive with more fields

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 9: Overall Atlas maintenance and upgrades to latest Node version

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

TOTAL ($) = $116,000

TOTAL ($0.45/ADA) = 257,777 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

PABs or Plutus Application Backends are highly valuable on Cardano and play a foundational role for all dApps. In particular, given that Cardano uses the eUTxO paradigm, the interface between on-chain and off-chain code is critical for interfacing with Plutus primitive, transaction building, and any smart contract interactions. Atlas significantly abstracts away blockchain complexity, speeds up development, and provides a solid framework on which any dApp can be created. Mature PAB frameworks like Atlas will fuel growth and innovation across the Cardano dApp ecosystem.