AMM Design

Algorithm

Automated Market Makers (AMMs) represent a fundamental shift in exchange design, utilizing mathematical formulas to price assets and facilitate trading without traditional order books. Core to their operation is a deterministic algorithm, typically employing the constant product formula (xy=k) to maintain liquidity pool balance, where x and y represent the quantities of two tokens and k is a constant. This algorithmic approach inherently introduces impermanent loss, a divergence in value compared to simply holding the underlying assets, which is a critical consideration for liquidity providers. Sophisticated AMM designs incorporate dynamic fees and weighted pools to mitigate impermanent loss and optimize capital efficiency.