Developers from Gnosis and Zisk, with support from the Ethereum Foundation, have introduced a framework to unify Ethereum’s broken layer-2 ecosystem, allowing rollups to communicate directly with one another and the main Ethereum network within single transactions.

The framework, known as the Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ), aims to facilitate synchronous execution of smart contracts across different rollups without the need for bridges.

This initiative seeks to address a crucial compromise in Ethereum’s scaling roadmap, where multiple layer-2 networks enhance throughput but fragment liquidity, infrastructure, and user engagement across various environments.

If this framework is adopted, it could enable applications to share infrastructure more effectively among rollups while reverting to Ethereum for settlement, thus minimizing redundancy and the necessity for cross-chain transfers.

This project is being developed in collaboration with Ethereum researchers and industry stakeholders, involving early contributions from infrastructure providers and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols that are exploring a standard for interoperable rollups.

Further technical information and performance metrics are anticipated in the upcoming weeks as the team outlines the implementation and broader adoption of the framework within the Ethereum ecosystem.

The proposal also establishes an EEZ Alliance, a collective of ecosystem participants aiming to coordinate standards and support the ongoing adaptation of Ethereum’s scaling architecture.

Gnosis, a leading Ethereum infrastructure developer, and Zisk, which is spearheaded by Polygon zkEVM creator Jordi Baylina, are at the forefront of this initiative.

Ongoing Debate on Ethereum’s Rollup Model

As this proposal surfaces, an ongoing discussion is taking place within the Ethereum community regarding the trade-offs present in its rollup-centric strategy. While layer-2 networks have expanded the overall system’s capacity, they have also caused liquidity and user activity to disperse across separate environments.

Recent data from L2BEAT indicates that there are over 20 operational layer-2 networks, securing close to $40 billion in total value, with liquidity split among platforms such as Arbitrum, Base, and Optimism. Instead of consolidating user engagement, Ethereum’s scaling framework has generated a landscape filled with parallel execution frameworks.

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has expressed concerns regarding the design of certain layer-2 networks, highlighting centralized sequencers and trusted bridge mechanisms as possible vulnerabilities. In a recent post, he mentioned:

“The original vision of L2s and their role in Ethereum no longer makes sense, and we need a new path.”

His remarks have garnered varied responses from layer-2 builders, reflecting a division regarding the future role of rollups. Karl Floersch, co-founder of Optimism, acknowledged the need for L2s to advance beyond mere scaling solutions, pinpointing the ongoing technical constraints. In contrast, Steven Goldfeder of Offchain Labs argued that scaling remains a fundamental function, especially as rollups continue to achieve higher transaction throughput than Ethereum itself.