Ethereum

2024 has proven to be a pivotal year for Solana, marked by a significant increase in developer activity and innovative advancements in decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN). The Solana ecosystem is ambitiously positioning itself as a "decentralized Nasdaq," aiming to distinguish itself from competitors such as Ethereum and Layer 2 solutions like Base. In a recent episode of Unchained, Lily Liu, president of the Solana Foundation, and Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius, discussed the unique strategies Solana is employing to carve out its niche in the competitive blockchain landscape. During the episode, the guests debated the potential of Base as a competitor to Solana, with Liu expressing confidence that Base does not pose a significant threat. They also addressed concerns surrounding the upcoming 2025 token unlocks, revealing that they are not particularly worried about the implications of these events. Furthermore, the conversation touched on Solana's innovative approach to miner extractable value (MEV) and how it could influence the network's future. The guests highlighted the reasons behind the influx of developers into the Solana ecosystem in 2024, emphasizing the platform's commitment to fostering unique innovations rather than merely replicating existing models from Ethereum. The discussion also explored the potential of the Solana mobile phone to compete with established tech giants and the broader challenges facing the ecosystem. Mert Mumtaz shared insights on what network extensions mean for Solana, while both he and Liu underscored the importance of DePIN in showcasing the true value of blockchain technology. Their insights reflect a strong belief in Solana's vision and its capacity to endure amidst the evolving crypto landscape, positioning it as a formidable player in the years to come.

Solana's recent performance has been a mixed bag, as the cryptocurrency experienced a 2.82% decline this week, bringing its total drop since the all-time high on November 23 to 18%. Despite this downward trend, institutional interest in Solana remains strong. Bitwise has launched a Solana staking exchange-traded product (ETP) in Europe, while Van Eck invested $2.5 million in the Solana DePIN project DAWN. These developments highlight that while Solana's price struggles, its ecosystem continues to attract significant investments and innovations. In terms of user engagement, Solana saw a notable increase in daily active addresses, surpassing 6.5 million, which indicates healthy participation within its network. The total value locked (TVL) in DeFi also rebounded to over $9 billion, solidifying Solana's position as the second-largest decentralized finance network. However, the decentralized exchange (DEX) volume took a hit, with a nearly 12% drop, reflecting the volatility within the market. Notably, Lifinity, a previously high-performing DEX, saw a significant decline of nearly 40%, while Raydium managed to post minor gains amidst the chaos. Amidst these fluctuations, Solana has achieved a remarkable milestone by onboarding more new developers than Ethereum for the first time in eight years. This surge in developer activity is a promising sign for Solana's future, as it continues to innovate and expand its ecosystem. However, the overall market sentiment remains cautious, with altcoins losing strength against Bitcoin. As Solana navigates these challenges, it is crucial for investors to remain vigilant and informed about the evolving landscape of the cryptocurrency market.

In a significant move for the decentralized AI ecosystem, io.net has announced a partnership with Zerebro, a creative autonomous AI agent, to enhance Ethereum Validator operations. This collaboration will enable Zerebro to utilize io.net's scalable and geo-distributed GPU network, thereby boosting its computational power for Ethereum validation. The partnership aligns with io.net's mission to provide affordable and scalable GPU resources to AI startups, ensuring reliability and scalability in their operations. This initiative marks a pivotal step in integrating decentralized compute resources into the burgeoning field of AI and blockchain technology. Zerebro's Co-Founder, Agustin Cortes, emphasized the importance of this partnership, stating that access to decentralized GPU services will empower users to explore innovative AI applications and complex decentralized applications (DApps). He remarked, "Zerebro is at the forefront of bridging the AI and crypto future," highlighting the commitment to decentralization while fostering innovation. The collaboration is expected to facilitate the development of creative and scalable applications, allowing developers to harness the potential of decentralized compute networks for a variety of on-chain tasks. As Zerebro continues to develop its open-source framework, Zerepy, the focus on securing the Ethereum blockchain through Validator operations is paramount. The partnership with io.net not only aims to enhance Zerebro's core functionalities but also to create a sustainable future for autonomous AI agents. By leveraging io.net's GPU clusters, Zerebro can sustain operations and explore innovations such as large language models on decentralized networks. This collaboration signifies a promising future for the integration of AI and blockchain, fostering an environment that is both autonomous and decentralized, ultimately revolutionizing the landscape of AI agents in the web3 infrastructure.

Austin Federa Leaves Solana to Co-Found DoubleZero Protocol Austin Federa, the former Strategy Lead at Solana Foundation, has made the tough decision to leave the project after four years. In a statement on Dec. 4, Federa expressed the difficulty of his decision but highlighted his excitement for his new venture. He is co-founding DoubleZero, a new protocol and network focused on managing high-performance, permissionless networks. DoubleZero is not a traditional layer 1 or layer 2 protocol but an innovative N1 network designed to optimize blockchain operations by increasing bandwidth and reducing latency. According to Federa, DoubleZero aims to support tens of millions of transactions per second and serve as a neutral base layer infrastructure for high-performance blockchains. The project will operate as a permissionless network of dedicated fiber and subsea cables, involving independent contributors. The network will provide filtration and verification services through network devices running open-source code, offering improved efficiency and spam prevention in transactions.

The Lit Datil Mainnet Beta has made significant strides since its launch, showcasing the potential of decentralized key management in enhancing Internet security and functionality. Over the past two months, ecosystem partners have actively utilized the platform to develop innovative applications. The integration of Multi-Party Computation Threshold Signature Schemes (MPC + TSS) and Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) has enabled developers to manage keys effectively while performing secure computations. The recent upgrade to the Datil network has introduced Programmable Signing, allowing for seamless transaction signing across various blockchain networks, including Ethereum and Bitcoin. The growth metrics of the Lit network reflect its increasing adoption and utility. With over 90,000 signature requests generated using Lit PKPs and more than 50,000 using Wrapped Keys, the platform has secured over $200,000 in total value. The total number of keys created has surpassed one million, indicating a robust user engagement. Additionally, the network has processed nearly 25 million requests since its inception, demonstrating its capability to support a diverse range of applications, from decentralized finance (DeFi) to autonomous AI agents and private data marketplaces. Looking ahead, the Lit team is focused on enhancing the platform's capabilities with new features such as longer-running Lit Action jobs, additional signature schemes, and improved performance through horizontal scaling. The anticipated launch of the v1 Mainnet in early 2025 will further solidify Lit's position in the blockchain ecosystem, introducing a live network token and additional functionalities. As the journey continues, users can expect exciting engagement opportunities through upcoming questing campaigns, fostering a vibrant community around Lit's innovative solutions.