Google partners second blockchain firm within a week to boost its cloud services

US-based search engine Google announced its second blockchain partnership within a week aimed at infusing digital ledger technology into its cloud services. With the move, the firm hopes to gain an edge over Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, which individually hold more market share than Google Cloud.

News of the development comes after Bloomberg reported in March that Google had been investing in and acquiring startups having blockchain experience.

In the latest move, Google tied up with New York-based startup Digital Asset, which helps users make decentralised apps based on the blockchain technology. News of the partnership comes less than a week after a similar startup BlockApps announced a blockchain collaboration with Google last Wednesday.

Reflecting on the tie-ups, Google said that “customers can now explore ways they might use blockchain frameworks on Google Cloud Product (GCP) with our partners including Digital Asset and BlockApps, and try open-source integrations for Hyperledger Fabric and Ethereum later this year in our GCP Marketplace”.

More details on how a Google customer can benefit from the partnerships will be unveiled at the Google Cloud Next ’18 conference in San Francisco starting today.

On the tie-up, Digital Asset chief executive Blythe Masters said, “The partnership would provide developers with a full-stack solution so that they can unleash the potential for web-based innovation in blockchain.”

Although Digital Asset’s software is set to release in 2019, Google would get early access, the startup told The Verge, without having to pay for it. In exchange for the early access, Google will help Digital Asset reach a wide audience of developers.

According to The Verge report, Digital Asset’s partnership will give Google developers access to a proprietary programming language for smart contracts. Using the language, Google developers can build blockchain apps, and license those apps to other companies or give customers access to the apps.

News of the partnership comes at a time when the blockchain market has been hit badly, recording a plunge of almost 50% in crypto prices. Relief came recently as Google allowed ads by American crypto exchange Coinbase. This followed a similar decision by Facebook last week, reported blokt, a Bangkok-based technology news portal.