Automata Network (ATA) is a high-performance compute protocol that strives to empower Web 3.0 applications and businesses with privacy-first, high assurance, and friction-less transactions. It aims to provide the functionalities and infrastructure necessary to realize the vision of a seamless Web 3.0 experience. Automata Network addresses the lack of transparency in data ownership, censorship, and intrusion into personal privacy. It provides privacy services for various blockchains, allowing users to control their data. The degree of privacy of computation in Automata can be stronger than in centralized web services.

Automata Network operates through a group of staking nodes and governs interactions between participants of the protocol. It provides interfaces for multiple blockchains to exchange data and cooperate on the agreed set of data in an atomic and privacy-preserving manner. Automata Network's applications aim to serve Web3 purposes and include anonymous voting, miner extractable value (MEV) minimization, and do-not-track indexing. These applications allow users to transact safely, regain control of their identity, and provide better building blocks to developers with open-source code and APIs.

Automata Network has several potential use cases. Its anonymous voting service, called Witness, provides low-cost, off-chain voting, on-chain execution based on the results, and different levels of privacy, ranging from private to public, based on the protocol’s requirements. Automata's MEV minimization solution, Conveyor, aims to be chain-agnostic and work seamlessly with decentralized exchanges. It ingests and outputs transactions in a determined order, thereby creating a front-running-free zone that removes the chaos of transaction reordering. Automata Network also provides a modular attestation layer with attestation conducted fully on-chain for out-of-protocol computation, forming the basis for Proof of Machinehood.

Automata Network was founded in 2019 by a team of blockchain developers and researchers, including previous founding members of Ziliqa. Co-founder Zheng Leong Chua holds a PhD in computer science from the National University of Singapore, while the other co-founder Deli Gong previously worked at Ziliqa as infrastructure lead. The team has been a recipient of Web3 Grant (2020), a participant of the Web 3.0 Bootcamp (2020), Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator (2021), and Polkadot Decoded Mainstage speaker (2021). Automata received $2.4 million in funding in June 2021 and closed a seed round in March 2021 with $1 million in funding.

Automata Network (ATA) leverages advanced cryptography and privacy-preserving algorithms, including zkSNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge), which aims to offer improvements in data privacy on the blockchain. zkSNARKs allow a party to prove that a given statement is true, without revealing any information about the statement itself. This technology is intended to support the integrity and confidentiality of user data, allowing users to prove the validity of certain statements without revealing the actual data behind them. Automata also uses a Layer 2 solution called zkRollup, which is intended to support scalability and privacy by aggregating multiple transactions into a single commitment on the Ethereum blockchain. This is intended to reduce the need for unnecessary data to be stored on the Ethereum blockchain, potentially reducing bloat and aiming to improve overall efficiency. Automata's use of zkSNARKs and zkRollup is intended to support privacy, scalability, and efficiency in the world of decentralized applications.

Automata's middleware layer strives to address the challenges of privacy, security, performance, and interoperability in the Web3 ecosystem. It utilizes contemporary cryptography and privacy-preserving algorithms, along with Trusted Execution Environments (TEE), to enable various use cases such as Anonymous Voting, Miner Extractable Value (MEV) Minimization, and Do-not-track Indexing. It also seeks to safeguard user data from potential exploitation by third parties, including DApp developers, service providers, and malicious actors, for their own purposes or to cause harm.

"Secret contracts" are a distinctive feature of the Automata Network. These contracts resemble smart contracts, but they have a key distinction: the contract input, output, and state are encrypted. This means that all data associated with the contract is stored as ciphertext on-chain and is only accessible by the owner, either the contract or the user. This feature strives to enhance privacy and security aspects for users. Secret contracts are constructed using the CosmWasm framework, which enables developers to write smart contracts in Rust that compile to WebAssembly (Wasm). CosmWasm utilizes binary and a low-level typed coding language, providing a method for developers to write smart contracts. Secret contracts are compatible with Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC), facilitating cross-chain logic with other IBC-connected chains.

Automata Network's integration with Polkadot, specifically with Moonbeam, a smart contract platform on Polkadot, strives to bring private, off-chain governance to the Polkadot ecosystem. This integration is powered by Automata Network's decentralized service protocol. The integration with Witness, a product of Automata Network, allows Moonbeam dApp developers to measure and enforce community consensus in a decentralized and private manner. Witness is an off-chain governance platform that provides a simple interface for users to create governance proposals and vote on them while maintaining their anonymity. This integration intends to offer improvements within the overall network ecosystem by providing additional protocol governance options, privacy features, and a platform for decentralized communities to discuss and vote on key issues. It intends to foster participation in the governance process by reducing the need for gas costs through off-chain voting.