In the latest installment of Cointelegraph’s podcast, “Hashing It Out,” Brendan Farmer, co-founder of Polygon, joins Elisha Owusu Akyaw to discuss the current state of layer-2 networks. Farmer sheds light on Polygon’s recent developments, including the introduction of its “Type 1 prover” and aggregation layer, or AggLayer.
The “Type 1 prover” is an innovative feature that enables any Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) network to function as a layer-2 network powered by zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs). This allows these networks to connect to Polygon’s wider ecosystem, addressing the fragmentation issues prevalent among layer-2 solutions.
According to Farmer, the technology behind the Type 1 prover took approximately one year to develop with the assistance of Toposware. It enables the generation of ZK-proofs for mainnet Ethereum blocks at a low cost. By utilizing the Type 1 prover, any EVM chain can become a ZK layer-2 network and join the Polygon AggLayer. Farmer emphasizes the importance of improving the user experience by consolidating the fragmented layer-2 ecosystem, making Ethereum the preferred choice for future adoption.
While acknowledging the fragmentation challenges within the layer-2 ecosystem, Farmer argues that there are still not enough layer-2 networks available. He believes that the Web3 space requires a sufficient number of layer-2 solutions to accommodate the high levels of adoption necessary for a crypto ecosystem functioning at an internet scale.
Elisha Owusu Akyaw questions Farmer about Polygon’s strategy to compete with the rising trend of various layer-2 networks building their own ecosystems, such as the OP Stack by Optimism, the ZK Stack by zkSync, and the Polygon Chain Development Kit.
In response, Farmer explains that Polygon aims to create a network effect centered around the AggLayer. By positioning the AggLayer as the most efficient path for liquidity and users, Polygon hopes to attract more developers to build on their platform. Additionally, Farmer emphasizes that Polygon’s network offers an enhanced user and developer experience without any limitations like revenue sharing.
To gain further insights, listen to the complete episode of “Hashing It Out” on popular podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or TuneIn. Don’t forget to explore Cointelegraph’s full lineup of other shows as well.
It’s important to note that this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal or investment advice. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.