Switchboard Oracle: Technology is not used for storytelling, but to truly solve problems

Any project or technology should not be judged by what they say, but by what they actually accomplish. This phrase is especially fitting when applied to the oracle track.

1. Starting with Oracles: This is a “Must-Have Among Must-Haves”

In the Web3 world, the number of blockchains is increasing, and DeFi protocols are growing exponentially. But the only products that truly serve as a “bridge between the real world and the on-chain world” are—oracles.

The reason why oracles are a valuable track is simple:

First, they are a necessity. Without price data, interest rate data, or liquidation trigger conditions, DeFi cannot operate at all.

Second, they generate ongoing revenue. Oracles are not one-time software sales; they provide long-term data services to protocols, inherently possessing continuous cash flow.

So the question has never been “Do we need oracles?” But rather—Which type of oracle can truly stand the test of time?

2. The Core Dilemma of Oracles: Speed or Security?

All oracles face two unavoidable metrics:

• Speed
• Security and Reliability

What happens if speed is slow? Prices change, but liquidation hasn’t occurred yet—arbitrage, margin calls, protocol losses.

What if security is poor? Manipulating data sources or interfering with the oracle is equivalent to directly attacking the DeFi protocol.

The problem is: These two points are inherently in conflict.

1️⃣ Mainstream Solutions’ Trade-offs

Represented by Chainlink, Pyth, etc., they adopt multi-node distributed aggregation:

• Advantages: Resistance to single points of failure, high security
• Disadvantages: More nodes → Slower aggregation → Higher latency

Pyth launched Lazer to address speed issues, but fundamentally it is single-node high-speed data service, speed improves, but security and stability become new issues.

This is the long-standing structural contradiction in the oracle track.

3. Switchboard’s Solution: Not Compromise, But Re-architecture

Switchboard does not choose sides between “speed or security,” but instead—redesigns the entire data transmission logic at the architectural level.

The answer is: Surge + TEE.

4. Surge: Why Can It Achieve Sub-Second?

1️⃣ The Evolution of Oracle Data Transmission

First Generation: Request-Response Mode DeFi contracts send requests → Oracles fetch data → Aggregate → Return This process is lengthy, with high latency, no longer suitable for modern DeFi.

Second Generation: Push Mode Oracles periodically push data on-chain. This is the industry mainstream now, but still updates at seconds or even ten seconds intervals.

Switchboard remains in push mode, but the key is—the push method is completely different.

2️⃣ Core of Surge: WebSocket, Not HTTP

Most oracles still use HTTP protocol. Switchboard uses WebSocket.

What’s the difference?

• Communication Mode HTTP is request-response; WebSocket is persistent, bidirectional real-time communication.
• Communication Frequency HTTP requires repeatedly establishing and closing connections; WebSocket maintains a single connection, continuously pushing data.
• Data Overhead HTTP headers are verbose; WebSocket, after connection, is extremely lightweight.

The result: Surge can theoretically achieve sub-second data push, almost meeting DeFi’s demand for “near real-time prices.”

More importantly— The oracle itself involves two layers of communication (Data Source ↔ Node, Node ↔ On-Chain), and the advantage of WebSocket in the Switchboard system is amplified twice.

5. TEE: Fast and Still Trustworthy

Speed is solved, but what about security?

Switchboard introduces TEE (Trusted Execution Environment).

TEE is a hardware-isolated environment:

• Program execution is invisible to the OS and administrators
• Data is tamper-proof and interference-proof
• Even with a single node, it offers high trustworthiness

What does this mean?

👉 Switchboard is a “Customizable Oracle” DeFi protocols can subscribe to nodes as needed, even with just one node, its security is no lower than traditional multi-node solutions.

This is a fundamental upgrade to the security model of oracles.

6. Technology Is Not Just Talk, It’s About Running

If a technology truly has an advantage, it will be reflected in the data.

1️⃣ Performance Data: Not Subjective Evaluation

In the real-time monitoring of thepriceisright.xyz:

• 30-second samples
  • Switchboard: 56
  • Pyth: 29
  • Chainlink: 28
• Latency
  • Switchboard: 5ms
  • Pyth: 1508ms
  • Chainlink: 1296ms

This is a direct result of Surge’s architecture.

2️⃣ Market Data: Money Doesn’t Lie

• TVS: $969 million
• Covering 21 DeFi protocols
• Core clients: Kamino, marginfi, Scallop

Among them, Kamino accounts for 78% of TVS, and it is a leading Solana lending protocol, second in TVL.

This is not fake data; it’s the real choice of mainstream protocols.

Meanwhile, Switchboard now supports:

• Solana
• Arbitrum / Optimism
• Aptos / Sui
• Bitcoin ecosystem CoreDAO
• Starknet (in progress)

7. Final Words

Switchboard is not stuck in the “technological narrative” stage.

• Surge makes speed truly leading
• TEE makes single nodes trustworthy
• Data verifies all assumptions

In a $80 billion oracle market, Switchboard’s current market share is only 1.2%.

The question is no longer: “Does it have technology?”

But—This curve has only just begun.