As part of a multi-faceted deal, Google will become a validator node for Theta’s Mainnet 2.0. As part of the deal, Google Cloud will become Theta’s preferred cloud provider. Theta also plans to further collaborate with Google’s artificial intelligence, machine-learning and big-data initiatives. Another big draw for Theta is that Google owns YouTube. According to Theta, Youtube’s internally-developed technology for video delivery and streaming makes experimentation a lot easier.

Theta provides a video delivery network that includes a reliable, high-performance network, but needs reputable node operators to ensure protocol security. Theta rewards network participants for relaying video content to other users using their spare bandwidth and computing resources, resulting in a massive decentralized mesh network of relayers.

Google will become the protocol’s fifth external validator node, joining Binance, Blockchain Ventures and Gumi Cryptos as external enterprise validators that propose and validate new blocks on the Theta blockchain. Theta plans to eventually have 31 external enterprise validators. In addition, hundreds of Guardian nodes (available to the public) will act as an extra layer of consensus with the Mainnet 2.0 launch by finalizing blocks and checking for bad-actor validator nodes.

This is another example of how blockchain technology is going main stream and will play a bigger role in the delivery of content. It also highlights how large platform operators like Google are getting more involved with blockchain applications through partnerships. As we previously reported, Microsoft partnered with Enjin on a rewards token.