Axelar Launches a Virtual Machine to Allow dApps to Run on Every Chain

Starknet, zkSync and other partners are connecting to Axelar Virtual Machine as a programmable interoperability layer – to streamline interchain expansion for dApps, across the whole of Web3.

Connections with Axelar Virtual Machine support integration of emerging technologies like ZK proofs and interchain light-clients that enable dApps to securely compose across all ecosystems.

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ETHDenver BUIDLWeek — The world of Web3 development has gone multi-chain. Users want the ability to interact across multiple ecosystems, but for developers, building these experiences is painful and potentially risky. Using the wrong infrastructure can lead to billions in losses – and new technology is always developing under their feet.

The Axelar network already connects major blockchain ecosystems, solving widespread security risks with the first generation of “bridges” and interoperability networks. Today, at Ethereum Denver’s BUIDLWeek, Axelar is announcing the next phase of secure interchain infrastructure.

Axelar Virtual Machine will allow developers to build their dApps once – whether on EVM, Cairo VM, Cosmos or another ecosystem – and run them on all chains. It’s a programmable interoperability layer that automates complex multi-chain deployment and management, so developers can span the whole of Web3, as if they were building on a single chain.

True multi-chain capability is also forward-compatible. New technologies like ZK proofs and interchain light clients are coming. Developers connecting to Axelar Virtual Machine will be able to integrate these technologies, wherever they emerge.

Starknet, zkSync, Celestia, Centrifuge, Coinbase Base, MobileCoin, NEAR, Shardeum and other partners are already collaborating and planning what developers can build via integration with Axelar Virtual Machine. The first two products that will ship for developers are:

• Interchain Amplifier: A simple, permissionless way to connect a new chain with the Axelar network and all of its interconnected chains.
• Interchain Maestro: A solution that enables developers to orchestrate multi-chain deployments for a dApp – comparable to Kubernetes for Web3.

“Building in Web3 should be simpler than in Web2, if the right building blocks are in place,” said Axelar co-founder Sergey Gorbunov. “It’s possible: blockchains have a lot to offer developers – but users need multi-chain experiences, and the infrastructure hasn’t existed to make them. We’re on track to building it and it can get there.”

“We are excited about this opportunity to expand Starknet to additional audiences,” said StarkWare co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson. “Starknet is all about bringing to the front new possibilities, reaching additional communities, allowing composability for builders and users, and Axelar’s excellent technology allows to do all that in a secure and seamless way.”

“We’re delighted to work with Axelar to make launching multi-chain dApps even simpler. Axelar’s mission to provide full-stack interoperability is a natural fit with the potent mix of scalability, security, and low gas fees on zkSync Era,” said Marco Cora, Head of Business Development at Matter Labs. “Together, we will bring this reality to more developers in 2023.”

Below is a brief on each of the products Axelar is announcing today, as part of Axelar Virtual Machine. Additional information can be found in a blog describing the functionalities of Axelar Virtual Machine.

About Axelar

Axelar delivers secure interchain communication. That means dApp users can interact with any asset, any application, on any chain, with one click. You can think of it as Stripe for Web3. Developers interact with a simple API atop a permissionless network that routes messages and ensures network security via proof-of-stake consensus.

Axelar has raised capital from top-tier investors, including Binance, Coinbase, Dragonfly Capital, and Polychain Capital. Partners include major proof-of-stake blockchains, such as Avalanche, Cosmos, Ethereum, Polkadot, and others. Axelar’s team includes experts in distributed systems/cryptography and MIT/Google/Consensys alumni; the co-founders, Sergey Gorbunov and Georgios Vlachos, were founding team members at Algorand.

More about Axelar: docs.axelar.dev | axelar.network | GitHub | Discord | Telegram | Twitter.

About StarkWare

StarkWare is leading the way in scaling Ethereum. It has built Validity-based scaling solutions: StarkEx and Starknet. StarkWare’s solutions, which rely on Ethereum’s security, have settled over $850B, and over 325M transactions, minted more than 95M NFTs, and serving hundreds of thousands of users.

About zkSync

zkSync Era is a Layer 2 zkEVM designed to scale blockchains like the internet. With zkSync Era, it’s trivial for EVM projects to take advantage of high-speed, low-cost transactions with the same security guarantees as Ethereum. Join us on our mission to accelerate mass adoption.

Contacts

Media: Charlie Havens, [email protected]