Introducing Zilliqa 2.0 - Shaping a Decentralised Future

We are delighted to officially unveil the whitepaper and roadmap for Zilliqa 2.0, the upcoming comprehensive upgrade to the Zilliqa network that will deploy on mainnet later this year.

Zilliqa 2.0 marks a paradigm shift for the Zilliqa network, bringing a major evolution that reworks the mechanics of the blockchain protocol at a foundational level. These enhancements are being developed in line with the project’s goal of delivering a fast, scalable, decentralised, and secure blockchain that is easy to use and uncompromising in its flexibility.

After a significant period in internal development, we are pleased to finally share all the exciting features coming in Zilliqa 2.0, and we appreciate all the support we received from the Zilliqa community as we worked to reach this point.

The whitepaper and roadmap for Zilliqa 2.0 have been published, and both are now available on the Zilliqa 2.0 roadmap website, which also includes a breakdown of several core features that will come with this exciting new version of the Zilliqa blockchain.

Read the whitepaper and roadmap for Zilliqa 2.0.

While the roadmap describes our plan for rolling out and publicly testing key features of Zilliqa 2.0 ahead of the full rollout of all features available in the new blockchain protocol, it should be noted that the timeline for implementation will depend on the success of feature testing.

That said, our goal is to migrate the mainnet chain to the new blockchain protocol, Zilliqa 2.0, by the end of this year. The mainnet migration to Zilliqa 2.0 will be accomplished in a way that preserves all historical account states and will not disrupt any actively maintained dApps running on the network.

Designed for efficiency, scalability and ease-of-use

The uniquely innovative feature delivered by the launch of Zilliqa 2.0 is x-shards, a new sharding architecture that offers unprecedented scalability through flexible customisation.

These sovereign, application-specific x-shards build on the core principles of Zilliqa’s first, pioneering approach to sharding while allowing them to be customised extensively according to the needs of the apps that are running on them. 

X-shards allow businesses and developers to build exactly what they want on the Zilliqa network while choosing or creating an x-shard that is best suited to their needs. X-shards communicate seamlessly with each other and the Zilliqa mainnet, making the transfer of assets and application data across them quick and straightforward.

Not only does Zilliqa 2.0 introduce a one-of-a-kind sharding architecture, but it also brings a new Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism and powerful tools for cross-chain communication.

Zilliqa 2.0 will see the network shift from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake, adopting a new consensus mechanism that delivers ultra-fast finality while being more lightweight and energy efficient. 

Block times can be tweaked as desired for every x-shard, but with Zilliqa 2.0 the root mainnet shard will now feature average block times of as low as 2 seconds, cementing the overhauled network’s position amongst the fastest in the industry.

The network overhaul will also add a cross-chain communication hub that facilitates easy communication between x-shards, the Zilliqa mainnet, and other EVM-compatible blockchains. This opens the door to accessible multi-chain applications and bridges, plugging Zilliqa 2.0 into the wider ecosystem of EVM networks.

Zilliqa 2.0 is designed with native EVM support, allowing it to run smart contracts written in languages such as Solidity and work with popular wallets like MetaMask. The network will retain support for Scilla and feature full interoperability between the two contract languages.

Other exciting features coming with the launch of Zilliqa 2.0 include an EVM-compatible implementation of account abstraction, which enables smart account functionality and the ability to use paymasters to facilitate token conversions for gas fees.

The tokenomics of the network will also be adjusted to account for the shift to Proof-of-Stake and to offer attractive but sustainable rewards to stakers that will reduce inflation to ensure a healthy token economy.

As we continue to work towards the milestones outlined in our roadmap, keep an eye on the official roadmap website for updates and more information on the exciting capabilities that are coming in Zilliqa 2.0.