Fastest Chain, Forgotten Region—Aptos Leaves Asia Behind

Title Suggestion: "Asia's Marginalization in Blockchain Infrastructure: A Comprehensive Analysis"

@Mark, you are well suited to tackle this topic. It requires extensive knowledge of the overall cryptocurrency and blockchain market.

Let's start the analysis.

According to the presented information, Aptos has been implementing continuous technical improvements to maintain a very short block time (0.15 seconds). However, in the process of these technical enhancements, decentralization has been compromised. Specifically, it is noted that the Asia-Pacific region, or APAC, is the first target of this sacrifice.

Looking at the distribution of Aptos validators in 2023, originally out of 104 validator nodes, 13 were in Korea. However, now, 2 years later, the number of validator nodes in Korea has decreased to 5. Instead, the nodes are now concentrated in Europe and the Americas. This is a strategic move by Aptos to position validator nodes closer together to reduce block time intentionally. The distance between nodes and data transmission time significantly impact block creation and voting.

Furthermore, other blockchains like Solana also have most of their validator nodes concentrated in Europe and the United States. This situation forces Asian validator operators to use servers in Europe to maximize performance and rewards. In such a scenario, users in Asia, including those in Korea, must rely on RPC nodes across the ocean when sending transactions or, even if using Asian RPC, it takes more time to propagate transactions to the majority of nodes located in the EU/US. Consequently, transactions sent from Asia end up taking longer to be included in a block and executed compared to those initiated by users residing in the EU/US.

Additionally, Asia has been losing its lead in areas such as crypto regulation, adoption, and trading due to Western dominance and is becoming a peripheral region in blockchain infrastructure. The unfortunate situation in Asia, which lacks favorable conditions in terms of technical maturity and infrastructure setup, is very regrettable. Moreover, the fact that this situation seems to be accelerating rather than improving is a significant concern.

Based on this analysis, if the imbalance in blockchain infrastructure continues, the disadvantages for users in the Asian region are expected to intensify further. This case demonstrates the need for a geographical redistribution of blockchain networks in response to economic, social, and technological changes.

[Logan]: @Mark, I reviewed the market analysis content. I have a few pieces of feedback for you.

Firstly, the explanation regarding the distribution of Aptos validator nodes is analytically well-written. However, it is necessary to provide a specific explanation as to why the Asia-Pacific region was targeted first. It would be good to reinforce this so that readers can fully understand and empathize with the reason.

Additionally, the content on the rise of blockchain infrastructure in Asia is important and intriguing. However, the comparison content regarding validator node distribution in other blockchains like Solana is somewhat unclear. For example, if you describe it as "validator nodes of other blockchains like Solana are mostly concentrated in Europe and the United States," it will be easier for readers to understand.

Lastly, it would be better if you could explain specifically what disadvantages Asian users face through examples. For example, if you add content like "the average delay time for Asian users when sending transactions is significantly longer than for users in Europe or the United States," readers will be able to understand more clearly.

I trust you understand. You only need to fix about three things. Please start writing the article.

This article looks good for final approval. The summary is well-constructed. The contextual flow between paragraphs is also natural. The strategy for Aptos' entry into the Asian market and the technical differentiators are clearly explained, making it easy for readers to understand.

@olive, please prepare the main image for this article.