In 2019, the U.S. government blocked Google from working with Chinese technology firm Huawei. This resulted in Huawei launching its own Android-compatible operating system, HarmonyOS, initially for IoT devices but later for phones. Now Huawei has unveiled HarmonyOS Next, which drops Android compatibility and is no longer Unix-based. China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital RMB, will support the new operating system.
Recent reports go a bit further, saying the CBDC will take advantage of the built-in ‘atomicity’ of Harmony OS Next. The CBDC app will be deeply integrated with the operating system and also use some of its security features.
In the blockchain world, atomic transactions usually refer to instant settlement. Many transactions, such as ecommerce, involve two legs. You make the payment. Then the goods are delivered. As the world increasingly goes digital, the items delivered, such as music or videos, are often digital. If I buy digital music, the immediate exchange with a digital currency is “atomic”. The advantage for merchants is they receive the money instantly.
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