Katla is the first testnet using Taiko’s Based Contestable Rollup (BCR) design and will serve as the foundation of Taiko’s mainnet launch.

NEW YORK, LONDON and SINGAPORE, Jan. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Taiko, an Ethereum layer 2 scaling solutions provider, today has announced it has launched Katla, their Alpha-6 testnet. This testnet features a new rollup design that supports both optimistic rollup and ZK Rollup, forming the foundation of the mainnet launch in 2024.

Taiko is an Ethereum scaling Layer 2 solution and is developing what is called an Ethereum-equivalent ZK-EVM (Also called a type-1 ZK-EVM by Vitalik Buterin). This scaling solution tries to mimic Ethereum as much as possible: it keeps all of its properties and reuses tools and the broader Ethereum architecture as much as possible, making it extremely developer-friendly. This is in contrast to other ZK-EVMs that change large parts of their codebase, drifting away from the original Ethereum architecture.

Taiko is also a based rollup. This means that Taiko does not have a centralized sequencer and instead relies on Ethereum block builders for transaction sequencing. This approach fully inherits Ethereum‘s security, liveness, and censorship-resistance.

Katla is laying the foundation for Taiko’s mainnet launch, marking a significant step forward for the project. It will very likely be the last testnet before Taiko’s mainnet launch in early 2024. It will be testing the innovative Based Contestable Rollup (BCR) design, which blends the advantages of optimistic rollups, such as simplicity and low cost, with those of ZK rollups, known for their security and shorter time-to-finality. This powerful combination results in a rollup architecture that can be embraced by a diverse range of dapps, including those with demanding requirements for high throughput and low cost, such as gaming and web3 social applications.

Katla’s standout feature is its ability to upgrade rollups from optimistic to ZK, adapting to changes in technology. This means that as the cost of generating ZK proofs decreases, BCR-based layer 2s can be smoothly transitioned to pure ZK rollups, ensuring long-term suitability. Additionally, Katla simplifies the setup of app-chains within the Taiko tech stack, removing the burden of generating ZKPs for every block for app-chain owners.

Furthermore, Katla pioneers a multi-proof framework, combining different proofs to create a more secure design. This framework aligns with Ethereum‘s approach to security and reflects the importance of multi-proofs highlighted by Vitalik. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin emphasized the need for a robust “multi-proofs” framework to bolster the security of Ethereum rollups at an earlier time.

Katla is going to play a fundamental role, not only in Taiko’s, but also in Ethereum‘s future. Being the first Ethereum-equivalent ZK-EVM and based rollup, Taiko believes that the launch of Katla, together with its upcoming mainnet launch, will mark a new paradigm in Ethereum scalability and for rollup security as a whole.

“We are excited to share this latest testnet with our community and partners, aiming to further enhance the scalability and security of the Ethereum network. Taiko is the first Layer 2 to test multiproof solution in a public testnet, aligning with Vitalik Buterin’s vision for Layer 2 security,” said Daniel Wang, CEO of Taiko.

Taiko has had five testnets, each testing out different parts of the protocol. In each of them, Taiko received significant support from tens of thousands of its community members who built dapps, ran their nodes, proposers, and provers, and interacted with the protocol in other ways — all without anyone’s permission.

Taiko has gathered a lot of information and made significant improvements to the protocol throughout the five testnets it has had. Katla will likely be the last testnet Taiko has before its mainnet launch, which is going to look a lot like what it is testing with Katla. But Taiko is still evolving, the next major milestone is Based Booster Rollup (BBR).

About Taiko

Taiko is an Ethereum-equivalent ZK-Rollup, scaling Ethereum by supporting all EVM opcodes in a layer-2 architecture that is decentralized, permissionless, and secure. The team has raised 22 million from top-notch investors such as Sequoia China and Generative Ventures.

SOURCE Taiko