Argument-0005: Retention at Rank II

Report Date	2025/05/26
Submitted by	Davide Galassi

Member details

• Matrix username: @davxy:matrix.org
• Polkadot address: 16Q4qkRcWd4r8196dVGNLYVfy7H86MJYJBMockPaMigFXCyv
• Current rank: 2
• Date of initial induction: 2024/01/08
• Date of last report: 2025/02/23
• Area(s) of Expertise/Interest: JAM Protocol, Applied Cryptography, Consensus Protocols

Reporting period

• Start date: 2025/03/01
• End date: 2025/06/01

Argument

JAM Implementation

During this period, my main focus has been on building PolkaJam, Parity's prototype implementation of JAM.

Although the PolkaJam codebase is not yet publicly accessible, Parity fellows can review my contributions in the project repository.

JAM Test Vectors

PR #28, which introduces what is now widely recognized as the de facto reference test vectors for JAM STF, has been officially merged. This milestone has played a key role in accelerating on-chain code interoperability. Most teams can now process these vectors, and the community is largely aligned.

The next major effort (#45) focuses on test vectors for full block processing, shifting from isolated STF components to a more comprehensive execution. This acts as an integration test, validating the interoperability of previously tested STF subsystems. Several teams are already successfully processing these vectors, which have proven effective in uncovering and resolving implementation bugs on a daily basis. This PR also formalizes the emerging standard for block-level vector processing and establishes the format adopted by the conformance testing tool.

JAM M1 Conformance Testing

The work is currently private for obvious reasons, but the project is moving forward, with several key design decisions underway. Some design notes have been shared for public discussion on HackMD: https://hackmd.io/@davxy/HJndf_gTkl

Bandersnatch VRFs

Although ark-vrf is currently the only implementation available to the community, a new Python implementation is in development based on the spec I maintain. This will play a key role in encouraging additional third-party implementations of the scheme.

Support and Collaboration

Provided occasional support to JAM implementers in the JAM public channels, primarily addressing topics within my areas of expertise.

Voting record

Provide your voting record in relation to required thresholds for your rank.

Ranks	Activity thresholds	Agreement thresholds	Member's voting activities	Comments
I	90%	N/A	None	There was nothing to vote on
II	80%	N/A	None	There was nothing to vote on
III	70%	100%
IV	60%	90%
V	50%	80%
VI	40%	70%

Misc

• Question(s):

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