View source for Multi-block TXs

Note: this is a feature in the release process. Check to see current production network status.

'''The Internet Computer blockchain can stretch the execution of a single transaction across multiple blocks. This allows very-long running smart contract computations to be initiated.'''

By contrast, traditional blockchains that host smart contracts, always need to finish processing a transaction within a single block. In practice this means that when a smart contract function is invoked by a transaction, it must complete execution within the per-block "gas limit" ([[gas]] is the equivalent of [[cycles]] on the Internet Computer).

The Internet Computer is designed to allow ''any'' online system or service to be built using smart contracts called canisters, to support a "blockchain singularity." This means that when a transaction invokes a smart contract, the computation involved must be able to run for a very long time if required, and consume as many computational [[cycles]] as needed.

This means that on the Internet Computer, a smart contract is capable of performing complex AI calculations, or applying a graphical filter to an image, say — although there is still a "max cycles limit."

Multi-block TXs are made possible by a broader aspect of the Internet Computer's design, called [[Deterministic Time Slicing (DTS)]].