Bitcoin Scalability Workshops

Scaling Bitcoin 2016 "Retarget" • October 8th-9th Milan, Italy
FOR THE ENGINEERING AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITY • NO EXHIBIT BOOTHS • NO DISTRACTIONS

Sponsors

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

ACADEMIC SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

LOCAL SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

Workshop Sponsorship

Sponsorship is now closed.

To sponsor next year's event please complete the following form: https://goo.gl/forms/2iMg1IbXg8Yn37Ul1

If you would like to host next year's event please complete the following form https://goo.gl/forms/kAqlSE3MqJL3hkI72

Travel Subsidy

Travel subsidy is no longer available.

If you have applied for travel subsidy, you will be notified before 2016-09-23 23:59 UTC.

Call for Proposals

The current Scaling Bitcoin Workshop will take place October 8th -9th  at the Politecnico di Milano Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32 20133 Milano - Italy. We are accepting technical proposals for improving Bitcoin performance including designs, experimental results, and comparisons against other proposals. The goals are twofold: 1) to present potential solutions to scalability challenges while identifying key areas for further research and 2) to provide a venue where researchers, developers, and miners can communicate about Bitcoin development.

We are accepting two types of proposals: one in which accepted authors will have an opportunity to give a 20-30 minute presentation at the workshop, and another where accepted authors can run an hour-long interactive workshop.

Topics of interest include:

  • Improving Bitcoin throughput
  • Layer 2 ideas (i.e. payment channels, etc.)
  • Security and privacy
  • Incentives and fee structures
  • Testing, simulation, and modeling
  • Network resilience
  • Anti-spam measures
  • Block size proposals
  • Mining concerns
  • Community coordination

All as related to the scalability of Bitcoin.

Important Dates

  • 2016-09-09 23:59 UTC - Last day for submission
  • 2016-09-23 23:59 UTC - Last day for notification of acceptance and feedback

Formatting

We are doing rolling acceptance, so submit your proposal as soon as you can. Proposals may be submitted as a BIP or as a 1-2 page extended abstract describing ideas, designs, and expected experimental results. Indicate in the proposal whether you are interested in speaking, running an interactive workshop, or both. If you are interested in running an interactive workshop, please include an agenda.

Proposals should be submitted to proposals@scalingbitcoin.org by 2016-09-09 23:59 UTC.

All talks will be livestreamed and published online, including slide decks.

Workshop

How do the Workshops work?

  • Events are live-streamed with remote participation facilitated via IRC for parallel online discussion and passing questions to the event.
  • These workshops aim to facilitate the existing Bitcoin Improvement Proposals process. Most work will be done outside of the workshops in the intervening months. The workshops serve to be additive to the design and review process by raising awareness of diverse points of view, studies, simulations and proposals.
  • Travel, venue details, accommodation recommendation are available below.
  • Please see the FAQ section below, it should answer most other questions.

Schedule

Notes:
Print

October 7th
19:30
Opening party

October 8th
09:30
(30 min)
Registration

Introduction

10:00
(5 min)
Introduction to Event

Fungibility

10:05
(25 min)
Fungibility Overview
PRESENTER(s):
Adam Back and Matt Corallo
10:30
(25 min)
JoinMarket
PRESENTER(s):
Adlai Chandrasekhar
10:55
(25 min)
TumbleBit: An Untrusted Bitcoin-Compatible Anonymous Payment Hub
PRESENTER(s):
Ethan Heilman and Leen AlShenibr
11:20
(25 min)
MimbleWimble
PRESENTER(s):
Andrew Poelstra
11:45
(20 min)
Break

Community

12:05
(45 min)
Build – Scale – Operate: The Three Pillars of the Bitcoin Community
PRESENTER(s):
Meltem Demirors and Eric Lombrozo
12:50
(90 min)
Lunch

Lightning Scalability and Future Directions

14:20
(25 min)
Onion Routing in Lightning
PRESENTER(s):
Olaoluwa Osuntokun
14:45
(25 min)
Flare: An Approach to Routing in Lightning Network
PRESENTER(s):
Pavel Prikhodko
15:10
(25 min)
Unlinkable Outsourced Channel Monitoring
PRESENTER(s):
Tadge Dryja
15:35
(20 min)
Break

Scalability of Other Second-Layer Systems

15:55
(25 min)
Sidechain Scaling -- Better Strategy Can Improve TX-Throughput, Even if it Can't Improve TX-Physics
PRESENTER(s):
Paul Sztorc
16:20
(25 min)
Scalable and Accountable Timestamping
PRESENTER(s):
Riccardo Casatta
16:45
(75 min)
Workshops
Lightning Network Routing
LEADERS: C.J. Plooy
Scaling Non-Financial Applications
LEADERS: Riccardo Casatta, Jude Nelson
Fungibility
LEADERS: Adlai Chandrasekhar, Andrew Poelstra
Hashrate Decentralization
LEADERS: Jack Liao, Alex Petrov
Scaling a Healthy Community
LEADERS: Meltem Demirors, Elizabeth Stark
19:30
Main Reception

October 9th
10:00
(5 min)
Opening

Implementation and Small Changes

10:05
(25 min)
Lessons Learned with Segwit in Bitcoin
PRESENTER(s):
Greg Sanders
10:30
(25 min)
Elliptic Curve Schnorr-based Signatures in Bitcoin
PRESENTER(s):
Pieter Wuille
10:55
(25 min)
BIP151: Peer-to-Peer Encryption and Authentication from the Perspective of End-Users
PRESENTER(s):
Jonas Schnelli
11:20
(20 min)
Break
11:40
(25 min)
Simulation-based Evaluation of Coin Selection Strategies
PRESENTER(s):
Mark Erhardt
12:05
(25 min)
On the Security and Performance of Proof of Work Blockchains
PRESENTER(s):
Arthur Gervais
12:30
(15 min)
Bitcoin Covenants -- Opportunities and Challenges
PRESENTER(s):
Emin Gun Sirer
12:45
(90 min)
Lunch

Breaking the Chain

14:15
(25 min)
Enhancing Bitcoin Security and Performance with Strong Consistency via Collective Signing
PRESENTER(s):
Eleftherios Kokoris Kogias
14:40
(25 min)
Fast difficulty adjustment using a low-pass finite impulse response filter
PRESENTER(s):
Mark Friedenbach
15:05
(25 min)
New Braiding Techniques to Achieve Significant Scaling Gains
PRESENTER(s):
David Vorick
15:30
(25 min)
Progress on Scaling via Client-Side Validation
PRESENTER(s):
Peter Todd
15:55
(20 min)
Break
16:15
(90 min)
Workshops
Collaboration between the Bitcoin Community and Academia
LEADERS: Shin'ichiro Matsuo, Neha Narula
Wallet Implementation Issues and Discussion
LEADERS: Lawrence Nahum
"Breaking the Chain"
LEADERS: Bob McElrath, Peter Todd
Block Propagation
LEADERS: Matt Corallo, Andrea Suisani
Getting into Bitcoin Protocol Development
LEADERS: John Newbery
17:45
(15 min)
Close

Remote Participation

Live broadcast will begin Saturday October 8th at:
09:50 CEST / 07:50 UTC / 03:50 EST / 00:50 PST
Official live stream feeds will be available through YouTube:
  • 09:50 CEST / 07:50 UTC / 03:50 EST / 00:50 PST: :
  • 14:10 CEST / 12:10 UTC / 08:10 EST / 05:10 PST: :
  • 09:50 CEST / 07:50 UTC / 03:50 EST / 00:50 PST: :
  • 14:05 CEST / 12:05 UTC / 08:05 EST / 05:05 PST: :
Live video feed for viewing in China:
  • YY Live Feed: :

Location

Politecnico di Milano
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32
20133 Milano - Italy
local_hotel
Hotels
• Albergo Leonardo Da Vinci ☆☆☆☆
NEXT TO THE VENUE
12 rooms reserved at preferential rates
Reservations via: info@albergoleonardodavinci.it
Reservation code "Scalingbitcoin 3"
• Doria Grand Hotel ★★★★
M2/GREEN LINE
(POLYTECHNIC LINE – 2 STOPS AWAY)
30 rooms reserved at preferential rates
• Residence de la Gare ★★★★
M2/GREEN LINE
(POLYTECHNIC LINE – 1 STOPS AWAY)

Register

We are sorry, but the event has been sold out.
 
You will still be able to participate via the live stream, IRC, and Twitter.
Due to space limitations, we will not be able to admit anyone at the door.

FAQ

  • What does it cost?

    To encourage continuity of ongoing discussions, all Phase 1 and 2 participants are invited to Scaling Bitcoin 2016 "Retarget" in Milan at $150 USD (same as for Montreal and Hong Kong). From August 15th, tickets may be available at $300 USD/ticket -- subject to availability.

  • I need some sort of document for a travel visa

    (Info: http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en) You are responsible for figuring out your own personal visa requirements to enter Italy. If you need a letter of invitation, then please correspond with simona.macellari at theinnovationgroup.it (please include your name as in your passport, title and correspondence address).

  • I can’t go but I want to participate!

    The event will be livestreamed, and you will be able to participate via IRC. Although it is naturally easier to participate in person, everyone at the event will have a desk in front of them and will be encouraged to join in online discussions with global participants who are viewing the live stream. It is also important to understand that no decisions are to be made at the workshop. (read more below)

  • How do I give a presentation?

    You can submit your proposal to proposals@scalingbitcoin.org (see CFP above). If you’ve worked on research, we recommend that you post the results, including papers, simulation results, and source code, to the bitcoin-dev discussion list. Depending on the quantity of accepted presentations, the workshop will allot a fair amount of time to each presenter. If people have substantially overlapping plans, they may be suggested to merge. Publishing a paper is NOT required—if you have a good presentation plan, you can propose a detailed summary.

  • Why Milan?

    The third workshop is being planned for Milan, Italy to make it easier for the European Bitcoin community members to attend. Milan is an international and avant-garde city with a charming Bitcoin community of developers and adopters. Together, BlockchainLab and AssoB.it, have created a vibrant environment for Bitcoin related starts-ups where they have fostered inclusive, rigorous and amicable technical discussions.

  • Are any decisions made at the workshop?

    Absolutely no decisions are made at workshops, as this would run the risk of being rushed and unfair to the global community unable to attend in person. The workshop is about raising awareness of issues and proposals, finding common ground, and encouraging public discussion within the existing mechanism of technical progress through the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal process.

  • Will there be a debate?

    There will probably be no debate, and the workshop organizers and participants will be operating with the goal of making the event low-stress and non-confrontational. The intent of the workshops are to showcase diverse points of view and promote open-mindedness in order to improve our collective understanding of how to improve Bitcoin’s scalability. In-person debates could too easily do a disservice to the future of Bitcoin in being about solidifying simplified positions for the purpose of winning political points. It would be unreasonable to entrust the safety and security of the future of Bitcoin to smooth talking at a one-time event rather than deliberate technical study with time for the global community to weigh in.

  • Can we discuss governance of the Bitcoin projects at this workshop?

    Scaling Bitcoin Workshops are focused on raising technical awareness of scalability issues, simulations and proposals to improve scalability. For now the participants want this to be entirely focused on the science and engineering, which is how Open Source Software development has proven to deliver excellence.

  • Future Workshops? Workshop BIP?

    We aim to host a Scaling Bitcoin Workshop once per year. If you would like to host next year's event please complete the following form https://goo.gl/forms/kAqlSE3MqJL3hkI72

  • Are there Vegetarian, Gluten-Free Options for the Food?

    Yes. Please email contact@scalingbitcoin.org if we can be of any assistance.

  • Is there Wheel Chair Access to these social events?

    Yes, all venues have been audited and are wheel-chair friendly. Please email contact@scalingbitcoin.org if we can be of any assistance.

  • How do you translate Bitcoin terminology to Italian?

    Bitcoin terminology is available at: http://scalingbitcoin.org/technical-terms

    Il Codice di Condotta in Italiano è reperibile qui

Online Resources

About

Scaling Bitcoin Planning Committee

  • Pindar Wong, VeriFi (Hong Kong) Ltd.
  • Anton Yemelyanov, ASPECTRON Inc.
  • Nelly Milanova, ASPECTRON Inc.
  • Neha Narula, MIT DCI
  • Matt Corallo, Long-time Bitcoin protocol developer
  • Eric Martindale, Blockstream
  • Christopher Allen, Principal Architect, Blockstream
  • Elizabeth Stark, Lightning
  • Leonhard Weese, Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong
  • Larry Salibra, Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong
  • Samson Mow, BTCC
  • Matthew Roszak, Bloq
  • Kang Xie, Individual Volunteer
  • Shin'ichiro Matsuo, BSafe.network / MIT Media Lab
  • Meltem Demirors, Director of Development, Digital Currency Group

Workshop Host Committee

  • Ferdinando M. Ametrano, Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology professor at Politecnico di Milano (Chairman)
  • Marco Coda, SellaLab
  • Gabriele Domenichini, President of AssoB.it (Italian Association for the Blockchain Technology) (Funding Leader)
  • Paolo Gianturco, Deloitte Italy (Country Head of FinTech and EMEA Co-lead Grid Blockchain Lab)
  • Simona Macellari, The innovation Group (Event Leader)
  • Andrea Medri, The Rock Trading
  • Stefano Zanero, professor at Politecnico di Milano
  • Giacomo Zucco, BlockchainLab.it (Engagement Activities Leader)

Program Committee

  • Matt Corallo, Long-time Bitcoin protocol developer (Program Chair)
  • Bryan Bishop, LedgerX, Bitcoin Core contributor
  • Neha Narula, MIT DCI
  • Ittay Eyal
  • Shin'ichiro Matsuo, BSafe.network / MIT Media Lab
  • Elizabeth Stark, Lightning
  • Gabriele Domenichini, President of AssoB.it
  • Anton Yemelyanov, ASPECTRON Inc.
  • Giacomo Zucco, BlockchainLab.it