Pontem partners up with EigenLabs to integrate Lumio with EigenDA

Our latest partner, EigenLabs, provides a pioneering data availability service for rollups like Lumio L2. Thanks to this service, called EigenDA, Lumio’s transaction data will be stored in a cost-effective and decentralized way - while dApps in the EigenLayer ecosystem will get access to new use cases thanks to Lumio.

Why is data availability a problem for rollups after the Cancun upgrade?

On March 13, 2024, the Ethereum Cancun upgrade went live, introducing proto-danksharding – a new scaling solution for rollups. Until this point, rollups had to write bundles of their transaction data onto the Ethereum mainnet using calldata, which is very expensive. In fact, calldata costs account for most of the L2 fees. Pontem’s Lumio L2 is not immune to this issue.

The Cancun upgrade introduced proto-danksharding – a new scaling technology that should reduce rollup costs by as much as 100x. Rollups can now form “blobs” of transaction data and send them to Ethereum together with special cryptographic proofs. This doesn’t require calldata, but there is a flip side: the mainnet will only store these blobs for a very limited time – just enough for any interested party to be able to challenge a transaction they consider invalid.

Rollups still need to have their transaction data stored somewhere, though – both before and after it is finalized. The solution is so-called data availability layers, which come in on-chain and off-chain form.

Why EigenDA by EigenLabs is a great solution for Lumio

EigenLabs is a blockchain research organization that focuses on contributing to the most valuable and innovative Ethereum protocols. Its core product is EigenLayer, a re-staking protocol that allows developers to benefit from Ethereum’s security instead of launching their own validator sets.

In simple words, ETH stakers are offered to re-stake their ETH (or liquid staking tokens, or ETH LPs) in various protocols in exchange for extra rewards or protocol fees. At the same time, the underlying ETH remains staked on the ETH mainnet, so now it secures both Ethereum L1 and the client protocol (which is called an Actively Validated Services, or AVS).

EigenDA is such an AVS, the first one deployed on EigenLayer. Hundreds of operators store  “chunks” (similar to blobs) of rollup transaction data until that data is finalized. They do it in a very reliable and decentralized way, and at a cost that is many times lower than that of writing data to Ethereum L1.

As we are preparing to scale our Lumio L2 project, including SuperLumio (the iteration of Lumio that forms part of Optimism Superchain), we need a robust data availability solution. After studying the available options, we concluded that EigenDA best fits our needs.

New use cases for dApps on Lumio and protocols on EigenLayer

The partnership between Pontem and EigenLabs has more ambitious long-term goals than simply integrating Lumio into the AVS framework. For example, a dApp originally developed for Aptos or Solana will be able to expand to Lumio - which, as you’ll  remember, can support any blockchain VM - and then plug into the Eigen AVS ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Lumio will be able to use more AVS solutions deployed on Eigen Layer apart from the data availability solution.

Alejo Pinto, Co-founder of Pontem, said:

“The ability for EigenLayer to enable the use of ETH security for various applications is revolutionary. Proof of Stake as a service is a genius concept that enables various use cases which can thrive on Lumio.  By partnering with Eigen Labs to utilize Eigen’s technology, we are positioning Lumio network to be at the forefront of innovation in the industry. We are confident that this partnership will not only benefit our users but also pave the way for the future of crypto. ”

You’ll find Lumio already listed on the EigenLayer ecosystem page, which also includes blockchains Celo and Mantle. EigenLabs CSO Calvin Liu said,

“We are proud to partner with Pontem to integrate EigenDA into the altVM ecosystem on Lumio. Eigen’s AVS ecosystem can help to ensure that Lumio applications can use AVS apps in a way that is modular, secure, and scalable. Together, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in Web3 and empowering our users with the tools they need to succeed..”

Lumio and EigenDA integration timeline

Pontem and EigenLabs signed a Memorandum of Understanding, according to which Lumio L2 will receive reserved bandwidth on EigenDA to enjoy predictable data availability costs with a write throughput of 10 MB/s and no congestion.

The integration of Lumio L2 and the EigenDA testnet should go live in Q2-3 2024. EigenDA itself is still working on testnet and should be deployed on mainnet before the end of 2024. As soon as it happens, Lumio will also integrate with EigenDA on mainnet.

In the meantime, Pontem’s development and marketing teams will closely collaborate with our counterparts at Eigen Labs to ensure the success of the integration. We are planning various community activations, co-marketing, and much more, so keep following the announcements on X/Twitter,| Telegram, and Discord.