DPRP: A Lightweight and Scalable Multi-Layer Blockchain Based on Swarm Reputation for Trustworthy AIoT Collaboration

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)-enabled Edge Collaboration Systems (AEC) are characterized by openness, heterogeneity, and constrained device resources, which pose severe challenges to achieving trusted collaboration within AEC. While blockchain provides a trusted foundation for multi-party coordination, establishing robust inter-device trust relationships at low cost and promoting the collaborative participation of heterogeneous devices remain critical challenges that need to be addressed. To address the aforementioned challenges, this paper proposes a lightweight and scalable multi-layer blockchain model based on Delegated Proof of Swarm Reputation, termed DPRP. The model introduces a lightweight consensus protocol, DPoRP, which constructs swarm reputation by evaluating node contributions within collaborative swarms, thereby establishing a trust foundation. This enables a swarm-reputation-driven multi-layer consensus mechanism, structured around meta-nodes functioning as autonomous units. To effectively incentivize swarm collaboration and constrain node behavior, DPoRP incorporates a hierarchical reward and penalty scheme tailored to swarm collaboration. Moreover, to reduce the participation threshold for heterogeneous devices, DPRP designs a dynamic, redundancy-aware hierarchical storage mechanism that adjusts redundancy factors based on actual storage demands, thus improving storage efficiency and supporting multi-layer deployment. Simulation results and analysis demonstrate that DPRP significantly enhances system robustness and scalability while reducing communication complexity.