• Substrate blockchains now support Move smart contracts, enabling Move parachains on Polkadot.
• Eiger integrated MoveVM with Substrate and introduced the “smove” tool for managing gas costs.

According to a recent announcement, Substrate the primary blockchain software development kit (SDK) for parachains that make up Polkadot Network, has integrated Move smart contract. The Integration will now allow developers to build on Polkadot using Move parachains.

Through Move virtual machine (MoveVM), this development, led by Eiger, expands the functionality of Substrate-based networks, offering new opportunities for blockchain development.

Move VM Substrate

Substrate blockchains can now execute Move smart contracts, and Move parachains can be built on Polkadot, thanks to the team at @eiger_co

This integration will open new avenues for developers to leverage Move’s capabilities while building on…

— Polkadot (@Polkadot) July 24, 2024

Move Language Gains Traction in Blockchain Development

Move, initially intended to be a cross-platform and secure language, has become popular in the blockchain sphere. Its integration into Substrate blockchains makes a reliable, audited programming language available to a larger audience. Some of the blockchains that have already implemented Move include Sui Network and Aptos, which shows the efficiency of the language.

This integration means that developers can now harness Move on Substrate-based networks. This is expected to open up the possibilities of developing more efficient and secure decentralized applications. The integration of Substrate’s modular architecture with Move’s security is likely to be beneficial for the entire blockchain industry.

The integration process required a full set of modifications to the Move virtual machine (MoveVM) to make it fully compatible with Substrate. This involved the development of a Move Pallet that can be used for storage and execution of Move modules and scripts within the Substrate framework.

Technical Modifications Enable Move-Substrate Compatibility

According to the blog, Eiger’s team has made impressive progress in integrating MoveVM with Substrate. They oversaw the integration of MoveVM with caution to ensure it seamlessly runs on Substrate. This included developing a backend interface for no-std operations, handling storage and balance, and linking MoveVM addresses to Substrate accounts.

They also developed a new Substrate pallet for MoveVM. As a result, this new pallet guarantees that the Move smart contracts execute properly and optimally in the Substrate framework. To address the gas expenses, Eiger proposed a module that turns Move’s gas costs into Substrate’s weights. This system ensures that the relationship between gas usage and fees is clear and consistent.

With Move parachains now viable on Polkadot, Eiger’s work provides developers with powerful tools to push the boundaries of what’s possible in blockchain technology.

At the time of the report, Polkadot’s price stands at $5.85, reflecting a 2.42% increase in the past 24 hours. With a trading volume of $146.52 million and a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, this recent activity can be viewed as growing interest and confidence in Polkadot’s future.