Deployment Overview¶

Purpose: Provide a map of all BlackSwan system initialisation paths — from fully cloud-based start without hardware to deployment on dedicated autonomous hardware. This document is the entry point to the 02_Bootstrap_and_Deployment layer and helps choose the appropriate launch option based on available resources, capital, and operational environment.

1. Three Paths to Life¶

Path	Startup Capital	Required Hardware	Stealth Level	Launch Duration
API-Based Bootstrap (Stage 0‑A)	Any (from $0)	None (cloud API)	Medium	Instant
Decentralized Bootstrap (Stage 0‑A)	Minimal ($1k+)	None (rent in decentralized networks)	High	1–3 months
Hardware Isolation (Stage 0‑B)	$45k+	Core Node (1× RTX PRO 6000 + 1–2× RTX 5090 Ti)	Maximum	1–7 days (after delivery)

2. Deployment Lifecycle¶

 ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────┐    ┌───────────────┐
 │ API-Based       │    │ Decentralized       │    │ Hardware      │
 │ Bootstrap       │    │ Bootstrap (EIF)     │    │ Isolation     │
 └────────┬────────┘    └──────────┬──────────┘    └───────┬───────┘
          │                        │                       │
          └────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┘
                                   ▼
                   ┌───────────────────────────────┐
                   │   Stage 0: Complete           │
                   │   (Readiness Manifest ready)  │
                   └───────────────┬───────────────┘
                                   │
          ┌────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┐
          ▼                        ▼                        ▼
  ┌───────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
  │ Stay on       │     │ Migrate to       │     │ Continue on     │
  │ cloud         │     │ local hardware   │     │ own hardware    │
  │(Swarm Phase 3)│     │ (Hardware        │     │ (Swarm Phase 3) │
  │               │     │  Transition Plan)│     │                 │
  └───────────────┘     └──────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘

3. Selection Criteria¶

Criterion	Recommended Path
Budget < $1,000	API-Based Bootstrap (DeepSeek API)
Budget $1,000 – $45,000	Decentralized Bootstrap (EIF + Akash)
Budget > $45,000	Hardware Isolation (Core Node assembly)
Maximum Stealth	Decentralized Bootstrap → migration to Hardware
Maximum Speed	API-Based Bootstrap
Long-Term Autonomy	Hardware Isolation