Optimism's Layer 2 Ethereum Scaling Solution Trial Set to Go Live in 2 Weeks

Monday, 04/01/2021 | 11:31 GMT by Rachel McIntosh
  • A trial run of Optimism's mainnet is expected to debut on Synthetix by January 15th.
Optimism's Layer 2 Ethereum Scaling Solution Trial Set to Go Live in 2 Weeks
Reuters

Optimism, a firm that is building a Layer 2 scaling solution for the Ethereum network, says that the solution’s preliminary mainnet should be available by January 15th. The Optimism mainnet’s first trial run will be held in conjunction with decentralized exchange protocol, Synthetix.

The solution aims to solve Ethereum’s scaling problem by forming a channel in which transactions can run more quickly and at a lower cost. Currently, Ethereum runs at about 1.2 million transactions per day; the average transaction fee is a whopping $15.

“Until We Relinquish Those Keys, Please Do Not Consider This the Full and Final System.”

The Optimism mainnet’s first trial run will be held in conjunction with decentralized exchange protocol, Synthetix. During the trial period, it will be possible for Synthetix to transform Ethereum smart contracts onto the Optimistic Virtual Machine (OVM). Once transferred to the OVM, it will then be deployed on Optimism’s mainnet.

Additionally, The Block reported that OVM is almost fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, which means that Synthetix will not have to change its code to in order to deploy its smart contracts onto the Optimism Virtual Machine.

However, because the current run of project is a trial, the Optimism team is expecting bumps in the road: “the project team will hold upgrade keys for at least the first six months to ensure user funds' safety,” Optimism said in a statement. Therefore, “until we relinquish those keys, please do not consider this the full and final system.”

The public version of the mainnet is current scheduled for release on March 15th. Several other projects within the Ethereum landscape, including Uniswap and Chainlink, are also slated to run trials of Optimism’s solution before then.

Eth Is Still Haunted by Scalability Problems

Ethereum’s scalability issues have long called the network’s viability as the 'backbone of the DeFi world' into question. In the past, this scalability issue has caused ETH bull runs over the last few months to be cut short.

During one such bull run toward the end of 2020, Stuart Popejoy, Co-founder and President of Blockchain infrastructure firm, Kadena, told Finance Magnates that ““ETH 1.0 is clearly on a warpath to bleed millions of dollars in gas fees over the next couple weeks.” He added: “Eventually there will be a new equilibrium when enough gas gets emitted to bring prices back to reality.”

Currently, ETH is approaching a new all-time high. However, it is possible that scalability issues could bring this rally, too, to a halt.

Optimism, a firm that is building a Layer 2 scaling solution for the Ethereum network, says that the solution’s preliminary mainnet should be available by January 15th. The Optimism mainnet’s first trial run will be held in conjunction with decentralized exchange protocol, Synthetix.

The solution aims to solve Ethereum’s scaling problem by forming a channel in which transactions can run more quickly and at a lower cost. Currently, Ethereum runs at about 1.2 million transactions per day; the average transaction fee is a whopping $15.

“Until We Relinquish Those Keys, Please Do Not Consider This the Full and Final System.”

The Optimism mainnet’s first trial run will be held in conjunction with decentralized exchange protocol, Synthetix. During the trial period, it will be possible for Synthetix to transform Ethereum smart contracts onto the Optimistic Virtual Machine (OVM). Once transferred to the OVM, it will then be deployed on Optimism’s mainnet.

Additionally, The Block reported that OVM is almost fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, which means that Synthetix will not have to change its code to in order to deploy its smart contracts onto the Optimism Virtual Machine.

However, because the current run of project is a trial, the Optimism team is expecting bumps in the road: “the project team will hold upgrade keys for at least the first six months to ensure user funds' safety,” Optimism said in a statement. Therefore, “until we relinquish those keys, please do not consider this the full and final system.”

The public version of the mainnet is current scheduled for release on March 15th. Several other projects within the Ethereum landscape, including Uniswap and Chainlink, are also slated to run trials of Optimism’s solution before then.

Eth Is Still Haunted by Scalability Problems

Ethereum’s scalability issues have long called the network’s viability as the 'backbone of the DeFi world' into question. In the past, this scalability issue has caused ETH bull runs over the last few months to be cut short.

During one such bull run toward the end of 2020, Stuart Popejoy, Co-founder and President of Blockchain infrastructure firm, Kadena, told Finance Magnates that ““ETH 1.0 is clearly on a warpath to bleed millions of dollars in gas fees over the next couple weeks.” He added: “Eventually there will be a new equilibrium when enough gas gets emitted to bring prices back to reality.”

Currently, ETH is approaching a new all-time high. However, it is possible that scalability issues could bring this rally, too, to a halt.

About the Author: Rachel McIntosh
Rachel McIntosh
  • 1509 Articles
  • 58 Followers
About the Author: Rachel McIntosh
Rachel is a self-taught crypto geek and a passionate writer. She believes in the power that the written word has to educate, connect and empower individuals to make positive and powerful financial choices. She is the Podcast Host and a Cryptocurrency Editor at Finance Magnates.
  • 1509 Articles
  • 58 Followers

More from the Author

CryptoCurrency

!"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz{|} !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz{|}