Sharding involves dividing a blockchain network into distinct partitions known as shards, each capable of processing its own transactions and smart contracts independently. This method allows multiple shards to operate simultaneously, significantly enhancing the network’s ability to handle a higher volume of transactions without overloading individual nodes. The study “Towards Scaling Blockchain Systems via Sharding” examines the application of sharding to improve blockchain scalability. It discusses how sharding can enable parallel transaction processing, thereby increasing throughput and addressing scalability challenges inherent in traditional blockchain architectures.

https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.00399