Google Cloud's BigQuery: Blockchain Expansion 2023

Google Cloud's ever-evolving BigQuery service has made waves in the data management realm once again. In a recent development announced through a detailed blog post on September 21, it has expanded its formidable data repository to accommodate information from 11 additional blockchain networks. These new additions represent a diverse array of blockchain ecosystems, including Avalanche, Arbitrum, Cronos, Ethereum's Görli testnet, Fantom, Near, Optimism, Polkadot, Polygon's mainnet, Polygon's Mumbai testnet, and Tron.

We're enhancing our #blockchain data offering with 11 new chains in #BigQuery, and we’re also making improvements to our existing datasets, so they are more precise, accurate, and reliable.

Learn more ↓https://t.co/fNFJiHSJBO

— Google Cloud (@googlecloud) September 21, 2023

BigQuery, often described as Google's premier data warehousing solution, continues to serve as a cornerstone for enterprise-level data storage and retrieval needs. Furthermore, it extends its hand to users by offering a treasure trove of accessible public datasets, ranging from the ever-trending Google Trends to the intricacies of American Community Service demographic information, not to mention the invaluable insights from Google Analytics and other data gems.

The journey into blockchain integration for Google Cloud commenced back in 2018 when it introduced a Bitcoin data set as part of its growing service portfolio. Later in that same year, Ethereum was welcomed into the fold. The blockchain journey continued its upward trajectory in February 2019 with the strategic inclusion of Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Dogecoin, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, and Zcash. Fast forward to the present, the monumental announcement on September 21 solidifies BigQuery's position as a data powerhouse by encompassing vital data streams from a grand total of 19 blockchain networks.

However, this expansion is not just about quantity but also about quality. Google has taken a commendable step forward by introducing a groundbreaking feature designed to streamline blockchain queries. Through the ingenious integration of user-defined functions, Google's skilled team has crafted methods to gracefully handle the often intricate long-form decimal results that are a hallmark of blockchain data. Google proudly asserts that these innovative functions are poised to empower customers with access to an extended range of decimal digits for their blockchain data, ushering in an era of reduced rounding errors during data computations.

As the pages of the calendar turn to the year 2023, Google Cloud has made its intentions clear by showing an increasing interest in blockchain technology. On July 7, a landmark partnership was forged with Voltage, a distinguished Lightning Network infrastructure provider. And the blockchain journey continued to unfold on September 14, with Google Cloud's collaboration with the innovative Web3 startup Orderly Network. This partnership seeks to provide pivotal off-chain components for the ever-evolving realm of decentralized finance (DeFi). These strategic moves underscore Google's unwavering commitment to pioneering advancements in the field of blockchain technology.

Read more: The Enigma of Bitcoin's Origins