Blockchain Technology for Next Generation ICT

Blockchain technology, which supports low-cost decentralized distributed data management featuring tamper resistance, high availability, and transparency, is a breakthrough technology that will lead to the next generation of information and communications technology (ICT). Originally devised to support the Bitcoin digital currency, it is expected to be applied to a broad range of financial applications as well as in various other sectors such as distribution and sharing economies. This broader application requires that several technical challenges including data privacy protection and better processing performance be addressed, and Fujitsu Laboratories is working on several relevant R&D projects. This paper introduces blockchain technology and example applications, describes a technology for achieving security in a business context, and examines Fujitsu’s efforts in commercializing this technology and an accompanying service as well as the open source software (OSS) project.