Architecture
Deep dive into the technical architecture of Platform Network - a distributed validator network for decentralized AI evaluation on Bittensor.
System Overview
Platform Network is Subnet 100 on Bittensor. It orchestrates multiple challenges, manages validator consensus, and distributes rewards to miners based on their performance.
Key Components
Platform Server
Central orchestrator running at chain.platform.network. Manages challenge configurations, stores evaluation results, and coordinates validator consensus.
Validators
Node operators who evaluate miner submissions and submit weights to Bittensor. Require minimum 1000 TAO stake for participation.
Challenge Modules
Modular Docker containers that define evaluation logic. Each challenge has its own scoring mechanism and emission allocation.
Consensus Mechanism
Platform uses PBFT (Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance) for validator consensus, ensuring the system remains correct even with faulty nodes.
threshold = 2f + 1 = ⌊2n/3⌋ + 1For n validators with maximum f faulty nodes.
f = ⌊(n-1)/3⌋System tolerates up to f faulty validators.
Consensus Flow
Leader broadcasts action
Validators verify & vote
Apply if threshold met
Score Aggregation
Miner scores are aggregated across validators using stake-weighted averaging with outlier detection.
s̄m = Σ(σv × sv,m) / Σ(σv)Where σv is validator stake and sv,m is the score.
confidence = exp(-σ / τ)Low variance = high confidence. τ = 0.1 sensitivity scale.
Outlier Detection (MAD-based)
Validators with anomalous scores are excluded using Modified Z-Score:
Mi = 0.6745 × (xi - median) / MADThreshold: |Mi| > 3.5 = outlier
Weight Submission
At each epoch boundary (~72 minutes), validators submit weights to Bittensor based on aggregated scores.
Normalize Weights
wi = si / Σ(sj)Apply Cap (50% max)
wicapped = min(wi, 0.5 × Σw)Convert to u16
Wi = round(wi × 65535)Submit to Bittensor
Per-mechanism weight submission
Security Model
Stake-Based Security
1000 TAO minimum stake creates economic incentive for honest behavior.
Docker Isolation
All evaluations run in sandboxed containers with resource limits.
Signature Verification
All API requests signed with validator keys and verified.
Outlier Detection
Anomalous validators excluded from score aggregation.
Rate Limiting
100 msg/sec per peer, 5 connections per IP, 1h blacklist.
Auto-Update
Watchtower ensures all validators run identical versions.
Configuration Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
Min Validators | 3 | Minimum validators for valid score |
Min Stake % | 30% | Minimum stake percentage to count |
Outlier Z-Score | 3.5 | Modified Z-score threshold |
Weight Cap | 50% | Maximum weight per miner |
Grace Epochs | 10 | Epochs before decay starts |
Decay Rate | 5% | Decay per stale epoch |
Max Burn | 80% | Maximum burn percentage |