Yesterday, zkSync, a well-known zkrollup developer on the Ethereum blockchain, announced a partnership with crypto developer platform Alchemy.
This news brings new features to the crypto ecosystem, expanding layer-2’s connections to the rest of the web3 world.
Meanwhile, a former zkSync engineer has decided to launch his own project Sophone, a hyperchain aimed at the entertainment sector, heralding the sale of a series of validator nodes.
Let’s see all the details below.
Ethereum’s zkRollup Solution Lands on Web3 Development Platform Alchemy: Advances for the zkSync Crypto Ecosystem
Yesterday, Matter Labs, the company behind the developments of the Ethereum zkSync zkrollup layer-2, announced integration with the Alchemy development platform.
Now the high-throughput second-layer blockchain, which represents the first rollup compatible with EVM, guaranteed by zero-knowledge proofs, can be more easily leveraged by the developer community, relying on a convenient and safe tool like Alchemy.
Get the most reliable @zkSync RPC data that scales as you do.
If you believe ZK is the endgame, sign up for Alchemy today: https://t.co/auw4Pd3miJ
Web3’s best free level. Improved APIs. Giveaways. And more. 🧵 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/N8HeLjb3tq
— Alchemy | Powering Web3⚡️ (@AlchemyPlatform) May 1, 2024
Specifically, developers on Alchemy have access to advanced APIs, custom RPCs, Supernode, Alchemy Signer for embedded accounts, and much more, all within a single dashboard.
By doing it this way, Industry professionals are encouraged to build new blockchain applicationswhere we can rely on a range of tools to efficiently scale and distribute such products across the internet.
One of the unlocked features closest to the non-developer world is certainly that of custom RPC, which allows you to use zkSync zkrollup via an endpoint other than the one offered by MetaMask, often overcrowded with requests.
By creating a private API key (and going to the command line), users can use Ethereum’s scalable secondary network by sending transactions through a secondary endpoint.
Alternatively, you can use Chainlist for the same purpose.
Example of an API key obtained after creating an app on Alchemy. Source: https://dashboard.alchemy.com/
New features will be unlocked in zkSync at home soon on Alchemy such as the Sepolia Faucet, an education program for developers, a ‘collaboration merchandise’ especially for chain operators.
Just one step away from the launch of the ZKS crypto and the supposed airdrop that will be dedicated to chain users, zkSync opens the doors to a new era of development for its ecosystem.
Based on zkSync with Alchemy, developers can rely on a reliable, scalable, and accurate web3 infrastructure, ensuring a seamless development experience.
Former zkSync developer creates his own hyperchain Sophon: public sale of nodes announced
Another crypto news from the zkSync ecosystem concerns the departure of the developer “0xsebastiena” from the Ethereum zkrollup team, to launch his own personal project.
This is Sophon, an entertainment platform that presents itself as a modular package using zkSync’s Hyperchain technology and the ZK stack as the operational framework.
Basically, it acts as a layer-2 combination that works in valid mode, which means no transaction data is stored on Ethereum’s main network (and is therefore cost-effective to use), designed to be customized for any high-performance application.
The main application areas are gaming, NFT ticketing, consumer artificial intelligence and other entertainment sectors
0xsebastiena presented the project to its audience on April 15, announcing two at the same time partnerships with Beam Network and Aethir Cloud.
The project recently raised $10 million in venture capital funding through a round led by Paper Ventures and Maven11.
Some personal news:
I’ll be leaving @zksync at the end of April.
I’ve been busy starting my own project.
Allow me to introduce @sophon
Sophon is a general purpose hyperchain, targeting ██████ and ██████, using ██████ as DA, leading us all to a…
— seb ∎ (@0xsebastiena) April 15, 2024
Just 15 days after the introduction of Sophon, a high hand grenade was dropped, causing the public sale of infrastructure nodes.
Anyone can decide to purchase a node, or better yet a token ERC-721 that gives the right to run the node itself (or delegate it) to Sophon.
The choice for public sale was made because the founder of the project has a great interest in the crypto world and can afford this option to decentralize his network as much as possible.
During this phase you can buy a node at the price determined by the reference level: when the allocation of nodes for that specific level ends, we will obviously move on to the next slot with a higher price: first come, first served.
The node operators will of course receive the commissions from the Sopshon network, as well as an incentive directly in the next governance token $SOPH (20% of the total supply) that will be issued in the first 36 months after the launch of the mainnet.
More than 18,500 ETH has already been raised through this public fundraiser.
18,500 ETH raised so far!
Today the sale of @sophon public node starts.https://t.co/FRuhBVq7SE
1/3 of all junction levels are reserved for public sale!
What we’ve done so far:
– Raised approx $10 million seed from reputable investors like @Papervc @Maven11Capital…
— seb ∎ (@0xsebastiena) April 30, 2024
Please note if you are new to this field and want to expose yourself to purchasing nodes.
Assess the situation carefully and make appropriate considerations in light of the costs you will incur to keep the interchange operational and the economic incentives you will receive.
A certain user has pointed out that this sale of nodes merely represents a method by which the project team can make money.
DYOR
The public sale of the Sophon junction is one of the most disgusting increases I have seen in a while.
If you buy one, you become their exit liquidity.
Currently, buying a token means buying tokens for ~$300 million FDV with a straight-line vesting of 36 months + a 3-month lock-up.
I improved their Google… pic.twitter.com/74Gh5Tvwmc
— Ericonomic (@ericonomic) April 30, 2024