Amazon filed for a patent, which was published May 14, to develop a Proof of Work system that uses technology similar to that used in cryptocurrency-related blockchains, according to Ethereum World News.
The patent describes a system that completes computational work to gain more access to a computing resource. Amazon's new patent also mention hash trees, which are used in cryptography to label each leaf node on the data block.
Cryptocurrencies bitcoin and ethereum use similar hash trees, leaving some blockchain experts to believe that Amazon is getting in on digital coins, reports Ethereum Work News. However, the patent did not specifically mention "cryptocurrency", "blockchain" or "bitcoin".
Amazon is also seeking to explore other ways to mitigate denial of service attacks.