Conflux Blockchain: A World-Class Public Chain Built by Tsinghua's Yao Class

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In the world of blockchain innovation, few projects combine academic rigor, technical breakthroughs, and real-world impact as seamlessly as Conflux, also known as Tree-Graph Blockchain. Spearheaded by Turing Award laureate Professor Andrew Yao and developed by a team of elite researchers from Tsinghua University’s prestigious “Yao Class,” Conflux has emerged as a globally recognized high-performance public blockchain—proving that cutting-edge research can translate into scalable, production-ready technology.

This is the story of how visionary leadership, deep theoretical foundations, and relentless engineering transformed an academic hypothesis into a decentralized infrastructure serving millions.

The Genesis of Conflux: From Classroom to Consensus Innovation

The journey began in late 2017, when Long Fan, a Yao Class alumnus and MIT doctoral student, returned to Tsinghua to teach cryptography. During one lecture on blockchain fundamentals, he introduced a theoretical paper on “graph-based consensus protocols.” After class, several students—including Chenxing Li, then a PhD candidate under Yao—engaged in a discussion about its practical feasibility.

Li quickly identified flaws in the original design. Recognizing both the challenge and opportunity, Li and Fan decided to collaborate on reimagining the protocol from the ground up. They brought their findings to Professor Yao, who immediately recognized the potential. Not only did Yao endorse the project, but he also contributed directly to the development of the random graph consensus ordering algorithm, laying the mathematical backbone for what would become Conflux.

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Thus, the Yao Class blockchain research team was formed. Inspired by the protocol’s architecture—where transactions initially spread out like branches before converging into consensus—the team named the project Conflux, symbolizing convergence and scalability.

Building the Foundation: Theory Meets Engineering

From 2018 onward, the team worked intensively to turn theory into code. In June 2018, a formal initiative was launched with Yao’s direct involvement in project oversight. He emphasized that long-term success hinges on robust theoretical underpinnings, not just rapid deployment.

A pivotal moment came during a National Day workshop later that year. As the team struggled with finalizing the consensus logic, Fan proposed a novel direction. Yao intervened with precise insight, identifying critical bottlenecks and guiding the team toward a viable solution—demonstrating how deep expertise can accelerate innovation.

By November 2018, the first version of the Tree-Graph Consensus Protocol was complete. Four months later, rigorous security analysis validated its integrity. Based on this work, the team launched the first testnet, iterated through two major revisions led by Li Chenxing, and finalized the protocol.

From Research to Real-World Impact: The Birth of Tree-Graph

The project caught the attention of Shanghai’s municipal government, which invited the team to establish a dedicated research institute. In January 2020, the Shanghai Tree-Graph Blockchain Research Institute was officially inaugurated—marking the transition from academic prototype to institutionalized innovation.

The name "Tree-Graph" reflects the protocol’s dual structure: a tree-like backbone for transaction propagation and a directed acyclic graph (DAG) for parallel processing and finality. This hybrid model enables high throughput without sacrificing decentralization or security—a rare balance in blockchain design.

In March 2020, the final protocol was published at a top-tier international conference. The research demonstrated that Tree-Graph could achieve 6,000 TPS (transactions per second) across 12,000 geographically distributed nodes, making it the first protocol to break the “dual 5,000” barrier—5,000+ nodes and 5,000+ TPS—in real-world network conditions. Yao served as the paper’s corresponding author, with eight members of the Yao Class listed as co-authors.

Mainnet Launch and Global Adoption

October 2020 marked a historic milestone: the Conflux mainnet went live, becoming the first high-performance blockchain based on proof-of-work consensus to complete full academic peer review and achieve commercial deployment.

Within six months, the network surpassed 200,000 on-chain addresses, signaling strong early adoption. By 2024, Conflux had maintained over three years of stable operation, growing into a truly global network spanning five continents and more than 20 countries, with peak participation from over 4,300 nodes.

To date, Conflux has:

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Proven Resilience: Withstanding Market Volatility

In December 2023, a surge in “inscriptions” flooded global blockchain networks. These data-heavy transactions overwhelmed many systems, causing congestion and failures. Yet Conflux stood firm.

For an entire week, it sustained transaction loads peaking at 12 million computing units per second—ten times the capacity of leading smart contract platforms—without crashing or significant latency. Among all large-scale public chains (with over 1,000 nodes), Conflux delivered the best performance, underscoring its robustness and engineering excellence.

Expanding Horizons: National Projects and Global Outreach

Conflux is no longer just a technical marvel—it’s a strategic infrastructure asset.

In September 2023, the Shanghai Tree-Graph Blockchain Research Institute was entrusted with a National Key R&D Program: “Blockchain Infrastructure for the Belt and Road Initiative.” The goal? Build a 15,000 TPS blockchain platform capable of operating across 10,000 international nodes without relying on sharding—a bold leap forward in cross-border digital infrastructure.

Simultaneously, Hunan Province launched a government blockchain project based on the Tree-Graph protocol, aiming to enhance transparency and efficiency in public services.

Beyond China, Conflux leverages Hong Kong as a gateway to expand financial applications across Belt and Road countries. Collaborations with telecom giants like China Telecom are paving the way for innovative integrations—such as embedding blockchain account management into SIM cards, dramatically lowering entry barriers for everyday users.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What makes Conflux different from other blockchains like Ethereum or Solana?
A: Unlike many high-speed blockchains that rely on sharding or reduced decentralization, Conflux achieves high throughput (up to 6,000+ TPS) while maintaining full decentralization across thousands of globally distributed nodes using its unique Tree-Graph consensus mechanism.

Q: Who is behind the development of Conflux?
A: Conflux was founded by researchers from Tsinghua University’s Yao Class, led by Turing Award winner Professor Andrew Yao. The core team includes top-tier academics and engineers with strong backgrounds in cryptography and distributed systems.

Q: Is Conflux environmentally friendly?
A: While initially using proof-of-work, Conflux continues to explore energy-efficient upgrades. Its high efficiency means lower computational waste per transaction compared to many legacy blockchains.

Q: How does Tree-Graph handle scalability under heavy load?
A: During the December 2023 inscription boom, Conflux handled up to 12 million computing units per second—ten times higher than major competitors—without failure, proving its resilience under extreme stress.

Q: Can developers build on Conflux?
A: Yes. Conflux supports EVM-compatible smart contracts and offers developer tools, SDKs, and grants. It has already fostered an ecosystem of over 200,000 developers and 100+ partner companies.

Q: What are some real-world applications of Conflux?
A: Use cases include cross-border payments, supply chain tracking under the Belt and Road Initiative, digital identity via SIM-integrated wallets, government transparency systems (e.g., Hunan’s政务链), and NFT platforms.

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