Today, Google announced a partnership with a New York startup called Digital Asset, which specializes in building tools for blockchain-based applications. The new partnership follows Google’s partnership with BlockApps, another startup specializing in decentralized applications.
Google said in a blog post that its cloud customers will be able to discover new ways to use distributed ledger technology using products from Digital Asset and BlockApps. It's not yet clear when the programs will be available for use, but more details will be revealed this week at a Google event. The company added that it will later introduce open source technologies for applications built on blockchain technology, hyperledger fabric and Ethereum.
This move shows that Google is looking for a way to provide its customers with something that its competitors such as Microsoft's Azure or Amazon Web Services, which so far have a larger market share than Google, do not currently provide.
The partnership with Digital Asset gives Google and its partners the ability to create smart contracts, as well as the corresponding programming language required. Using these two, Google developers can create programs that they can provide for free or for a fee.
Google seems to have been interested in the technology in question for many years, as it appears that from 2012 to 2017 it is the second most active company investing in blockchain.
