ZetaChain Lightning: What You Need to Know
70% Block Time Reduction Target, Solana & TON Support, & More
ZetaChain is a Universal L1, connecting to both mart-contract platforms like Ethereum and other chains, as well as non-programmable chains like Bitcoin. Acting as a decentralized hub, it unites all these individual chains, providing a unified environment where users interact with multiple ecosystems, without needing to bridge or wrap assets.
With ZetaChain, developers can deploy smart contracts on a single chain that can read/write on any connected chain, using a decentralized network of validators that observe and sign transactions on external chains.
ZetaChain has just released ZetaChain Lightning, the protocol’s first step toward achieving the fastest Cross-Chain Transactions (CCTX) and broader chain support. The Lightning upgrade reduces block times by 33% +, integrates Solana and TON, and more.
In today’s edition, we’ll detail the immediate impacts of ZetaChain Lightning, as well as the long-term targets the team sets out to achieve.
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Background on ZetaChain
By enabling direct cross-chain smart contract capabilities, ZetaChain allows developers to build Universal Apps that operate across multiple ecosystems from a single platform. Developers can deploy one smart contract on ZetaChain to reach users and assets on all major chains. ZetaChain’s Universal EVM is Solidity-compatible, meaning that existing Ethereum contracts can be ported with minimal changes to gain cross-chain functionality.
On the user side, by removing the need to switch networks or use bridges, dApps built on ZetaChain can offer a “single-click” experience while also reducing the attack surface typically associated with bridges. Universal Apps provide a unified interface to interact with multiple blockchain ecosystems seamlessly without having to bridge, swap, or use different wallets.
ZetaChain Lightning
ZetaChain’s Lightning upgrade is the protocol’s first step toward becoming the fastest CCTX provider. Block times have been reduced from 6s to 4s, a 33% increase in block finality time. This is now live, though the team aims to eventually get block times down to just 2s.
Lightning also speeds up ZetaChain’s throughput with other technical improvements, including TSS Signature Caching and Global TSS Rate Limiting. New cross-chain features have also been added, giving developers more optionality when leveraging ZetaChain to interact with Bitcoin, Solana, and Sui Testnet.
ZetaChain is actively exploring Threshold BLS (tBLS) signatures to boost performance beyond what is feasible with the current threshold ECDSA approach. tBLS signatures allow for a diverse group of validators to authorize transactions together while using Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) to ensure that the secret key is not entrusted to any one entity.
Beyond enhancing scaling, ZetaChain Lightning brings new capabilities to key chains. Developers can now build Universal Apps leveraging Solana smart contracts, allowing users across chains to directly swap from EVM assets to Solana assets without having to switch networks.
After first integrating TON Testnet in March, ZetaChain now supports native $TON. Users can now access Universal Apps right from their TON wallet, which is important considering TON’s Telegram integration and large, authentic user base.
With CCTX performance improving with Lightning and future upgrades, as well as Sui and TON mainnet support coming soon, ZetaChain aims to provide the most performant and reliable cross-chain trust layer.
For more details, check out ZetaChain’s official Lightning Upgrade announcement blog.
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Disclosures
Alea Research is engaged in a commercial relationship with ZetaChain as part of an educational initiative, and this newsletter was commissioned as part of that engagement. This content is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. You should do your own research and only invest what you can afford to lose. Alea Research is a research platform and not an investment or financial advisor.
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