Pontem partners up with EigenLabs to integrate Lumio with EigenDA

Our newest partner, Eigen Labs, offers Eigen DA, a pioneering data availability service for rollups like our Lumio L2. Thanks to EigenDA, Lumio’s transaction data will be stored in a cost-effective and decentralized way - and 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 the majority of  L2 fees. Pontem’s Lumio L2 is not immune to this issue.

Proto-danksharding 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.
But, rollups still need to have their transaction data stored somewhere, both before and after it is finalized. The solution is data availability layers like EigenDA.

Why EigenDA by Eigen Labs is a great solution for Lumio

Eigen Labs 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 a re-staking protocol, ETH stakers can 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 mainnet, so it secures both Ethereum L1 and the client protocol, called an Actively Validated Services (AVS).

EigenDA is one of such AVS, and the first one deployed on EigenLayer. Hundreds of operators store “chunks”of rollup transaction data until that data is finalized. They do it in a reliable and decentralized way, and many times cheaper than that of writing data to Ethereum.

As we prepare to scale our Lumio L2 project, we need a robust data availability solution. And EigenDA is the best on the market today.

New use cases for dApps on Lumio and protocols on Eigen Layer

The partnership between Pontem and Eigen Labs 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 supports every blockchain VM, then plug into the Eigen AVS ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Lumio will be able to use more AVS solutions deployed on EigenLayer 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 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.

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

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

In the meantime, Pontem’s team 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 stay tuned  on X/Twitter,| Telegram, and Discord.