Sony’s Layer-2 Blockchain “Soneium” Goes Live

1 month ago

Sony, the 78-year-old Japanese electronics giant, is the latest bequest megacorp to research blockchain technology. On Tuesday, the institution announced that it is officially launching "Soneum," a general-purpose blockchain platform.

The squad down Sony Block Solutions Labs (SBSL), a joint task between Sony Group and Singapore-based Startale Labs, describes Soneuim — technically a layer-2 web atop Ethereum — arsenic "a versatile general-purpose blockchain platform" built to enactment a divers ecosystem of gaming, concern and amusement apps. According to SBSL, the motorboat comes aft a 4 month-long trial play that progressive information from 14 cardinal wallets.

Sony's web is yet much grounds that accepted exertion companies mightiness again beryllium keen connected blockchain's quality to link and commercialize the aboriginal of media. The concatenation is aimed towards "bridging the spread betwixt web2 and web3 audiences, particularly for the creators, fans and community,” SBSL said successful a connection shared with CoinDesk. “The level prioritizes user-centric design, simplifying blockchain interactions and evolving web3 from a niche hobby into an mundane experience.”

The squad tapped Optimism’s OP Stack to physique retired their web — a customizable model that lets developers usage optimistic rollup exertion to transact connected Ethereum rapidly and astatine a debased cost.

Other companies utilizing the OP Stack see the U.S. crypto exchanges Coinbase and Kraken, which usage the tech to powerfulness their fashionable Base and Ink networks. Uniswap, the starring decentralized exchange, and Worldcoin, the Sam Altman-founded integer passport, besides usage OP Stack to powerfulness their layer-2 blockchain networks.

In galore cases, the Optimism Foundation, which stewards the improvement of the OP Stack, has awarded grants to companies that agreed to usage its tech. SBSL declined to remark connected however galore OP tokens they would person arsenic portion of this deal, though previous reporting indicates that Optimism's grants tin beryllium substantial.

In August 2023, Coinbase received up to 118 cardinal OP tokens — worthy $182 cardinal astatine the time, oregon $192 cardinal astatine today's prices — to usage OP Stack for Base chain. CoinDesk also reported that Kraken received up to 25 cardinal OP tokens, worthy astir $100 million, erstwhile it agreed to usage the OP Stack successful January 2024 (now worthy $42 million).

Similar grants are doled retired by Optimism competitors similar Polygon and Arbitrum, each of whom is dueling to physique its ain interconnected web of blockchains.

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