Storj, a decentralized data storage network, has introduced a program that offers free cloud storage space to organizations taking part in Coronavirus (COVID-19) research.
Storj’s program has been launched after contributions were made by blockchain industry participants toward the decentralized scientific research network, Folding@Home.
The Storj development team confirmed on April 22, 2020 that the blockchain-enabled cloud network would be available to organizations focused on Coronavirus-related research. Scientists and other professionals can store data for free on the Storj network, as they try to find a vaccine for COVID-19 or assist with other preventive measures.
Storj will offer eligible organizations up to one terabyte of free cloud storage space. Qualifying entities will also get a monthly bandwidth of one terabyte of storage space on Storj’s Tardigrade distributed cloud network for a full year.
Storj offers an encrypted, open-source, and decentralized data storage solution. The platform uses database sharding techniques, and blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) to store data on a peer to peer (P2P) network.
Crypto and blockchain industry participants have been donating computing resources to Folding@Home (a distributed research platform), in order to help fight the Coronavirus.
F@H was developed by researchers working at science labs throughout the world. The initiative aims to provide computing power to organizations performing medical research. F@H has introduced an initiative that runs simulations of the Coronavirus’ molecular structure, in order to assist with research that could help develop potential treatments.
Storj says it will provide up to five petabytes of data storage space to organizations conducting research related to COVID-19. It’s also open to considering requests for additional storage resources which may exceed the one terabyte limit.