Alchemy rebuilds its core infrastructure using AI, releases Cortex blockchain engine with sub-50 millisecond transaction response times

Over the past 18 months, blockchain infrastructure platform Alchemy has reportedly rebuilt its core infrastructure. The result, called Cortex, is "an intelligent blockchain engine" using AI trained on years of crypto transaction data to deliver faster, predictable, and more efficient results.

"The engine delivers 66% faster response times, up to 500x the throughput of a single blockchain node, delivering ultra-fast transaction response times and anticipating the evolving needs of finality and real-time settlement in an onchain economy," the company wrote in a statement.

A blockchain engine is the underlying system that manages the creation, validation, and storage of blocks, ensuring the blockchain operates securely and efficiently.

Alchemy said Cortex can reach sub-50 millisecond transaction response times, reportedly on par with Mastercard. It also brings "block-perfect consistency" so that all global users are served identical data in real time.

The move is significant given Alchemy’s outsized role within the crypto industry. The company works with everyone from Stripe to Coinbase to support transaction flows, and also powers over 70% of stablecoin infrastructure. This results in about $150 billion in annual onchain volume.

According to Alchemy, instead of using the cloud, the company has rebuilt its backend using physical “bare-metal” servers and direct datacenter routing.