Blockchains LLC is stepping up its plans to build a blockchain smart city in the Nevada desert east of Reno. The company first came up with this idea in 2018.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Blockchains LLC CEO Jeffrey Berns said he asked the state of Nevada to allow it to form local government on the 67,000 acres the firm owns in Storey County. If his petition is successful, the company will be allowed to operate as an “innovation zone” where it can impose taxes and set up courts.
In a smart city, Blockchains LLC plans to support digital currency payments for goods and services and organize administrative records on the blockchain. The company acquired a land plot in the largest industrial park in the United States in January 2018. Then Burns talked about plans to build a city in the desert, focused on cryptocurrencies and blockchain. He announced that he invested $ 300 million to make this dream a reality.
The smart city, the infrastructure of which will be based on blockchain, will have a high-tech park for enterprises, combining blockchain with artificial intelligence, 3D printing and nanotechnology. The city will include residential buildings and shops, an arena for e-sports events, and a studio for producing music, films and games.
Although Burns said he hopes to build 15,000 homes in the city within 75 years, housing construction is currently banned on most of the company’s land, which is likely to limit the size of the city to 3,500 homes. If Nevada legislators approve of Burns’ proposal, the company’s management could potentially attract private technology companies to more than 50,000 acres, promising a $ 1 billion investment.
This decision could potentially affect Tesla’s Gigafactory, located in the same county. Amazon also has a distribution center in the area. Burns said he wants to start building a smart city next year.