Cardano Founder Gives Update on Network Rollup Strategy

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson provides a fascinating update on the implementation of rollups for the network.

A Twitter user pointed out that the Cardano founder spoke about rollups, or a rollup strategy, twice this year in YouTube videos, and asked further which project he was specifically referring to. In an AMA in April, Hoskinson hinted about the release of ZK-rollups on Cardano, adding that a “beautiful plan” lies in wait.

The sidechains project requires it. We are implementing on a very aggressive schedule. Midnight will be the first user

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) July 22, 2023

In response to the user’s question, the founder of Cardano spoke of sidechain projects requiring rollups. He added that the implementation is being done on a very aggressive schedule, with Midnight targeted to be the first user.

“The sidechains project requires it. We are implementing on a very aggressive schedule. Midnight will be the first user,” Hoskinson answered.

Last year, Cardano builder Input Output Global introduced the privacy blockchain Midnight, which will operate as a sidechain of the Cardano blockchain.

Midnight will utilize zero-knowledge cryptography (ZK proofs) and a combination of private and public computation to provide a trustless ecosystem that protects sensitive personal and business data while being compliant. Use cases may include financial workflows, healthcare data and supply chain operations.

Cardano advances Layer 2 solutions

Cardano has made progress in the development of Layer 2 solutions, particularly sidechains and off-chain solutions (like ZK rollups), which run independently alongside the main blockchain.

The EVM sidechain developed by IOG launched on the public testnet in February this year, allowing the community to deploy dApps, create smart contracts and move tokens between the testing environment chains.

The testnet, which is compatible with Ethereum’s tools and libraries, allows developers to write Solidity smart contracts, dApps and ERC20 tokens on Cardano test environments.

At the start of the year, IOG deployed a toolkit for building custom sidechains, allowing developers to build blockchains for particular use cases on the platform.