Voltage, a leading Bitcoin Lightning infrastructure provider, has recently joined forces with Google Cloud in a strategic partnership aimed at expanding its global hosting capacity and locations. This collaboration, as announced on May 19, will empower Voltage users to establish Bitcoin Lightning nodes across the world, starting with initial operations in Iowa, Netherlands, and Singapore.
Voltage’s innovative protocol facilitates efficient money transfers over the lightning network, offering a cost-effective alternative to existing options. By leveraging the Lightning network, businesses can reach a global audience and enhance their market presence. Notably, Voltage’s platform enables microtransactions, a feature that can greatly benefit businesses by improving customer retention, reducing acquisition costs, and increasing customer lifetime value.
Deploying its infrastructure on Google Cloud enables Voltage to better fulfill these requirements by leveraging the tech giant’s exceptional infrastructure and global network. This move is expected to significantly bolster the adoption of Bitcoin Lightning on a global scale.
Graham Krizek, the founder and CEO of Voltage, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership on Twitter, suggesting that Lightning technology is entering the mainstream. This sentiment resonated with many members of the crypto community who reacted positively to the news of the collaboration.
Voltage, launched in 2020, positions itself as a Lightning as a Service (LaaS) provider, offering infrastructure solutions for payments and finance companies to facilitate cross-border settlements through the Lightning Network.
This partnership is another noteworthy addition to Google’s growing involvement in the cryptocurrency space. Google Cloud has actively engaged with crypto companies, providing blockchain-focused services and collaborating with industry leaders. In late 2022, Google announced its partnership with Coinbase, allowing payments for cloud services to be made in cryptocurrencies. The company also expressed interest in exploring the use of Coinbase Prime for cryptocurrency storage.
Additionally, Google Cloud became a validator for the Solana network, running a block-producing Solana validator to participate in and validate the network. In April, Google partnered with Polygon Labs to offer customers automated access to Polygon blockchain nodes through its fully managed node hosting service, while also supporting the blockchain network’s new zkEVM scaling solution with cloud services.
By continuously expanding its involvement in the crypto industry, Google demonstrates its commitment to driving innovation and adoption within the blockchain space.
