Eclipse launched its eagerly awaited mainnet blockchain on Thursday — introducing a unique layer-2 network that combines technology from the well-known Ethereum and Solana blockchains into a single package.

Like other layer-2 Ethereum rollups, Eclipse allows users to transact on Ethereum with enhanced speeds and lower transaction fees. This is achieved by operating as its own network, utilizing the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) — a rapid and cost-effective execution architecture developed by Solana, which is Ethereum's main competitor. Similar to other layer-2 solutions, Eclipse aggregates transactions from its users and periodically sends them to the foundational Ethereum blockchain, where they are permanently recorded on the chain's ledger.

"Eclipse is uniquely positioned to bridge Ethereum and Solana ecosystems," Eclipse CEO Vijay Chetty stated. "This platform enables developers to scale their applications without requiring them to choose between two leading blockchain networks."

The SVM architecture facilitates Solana-native developers to create (or port) decentralized applications (dApps) that could outperform and be more cost-effective than Ethereum-native applications.

While Solana is celebrated for its speed and low transaction costs, Ethereum is recognized for its strong security and high liquidity. Users across both Solana and Ethereum could gain from this modular setup: dApps on Eclipse can smoothly integrate with native Solana applications, thereby enabling the network to help connect liquidity from both ecosystems.

According to the Eclipse Foundation, the Eclipse mainnet has already welcomed several projects, including the DeFi platform Orca, as well as consumer-focused initiatives Save and Nucleus. Collectively, the network will host over 60 decentralized applications across finance, gaming, and digital services.

Eclipse's inter-ecosystem approach has made it one of the most talked-about blockchain projects of this past cycle, allowing it to secure over $50 million in investments. However, the project's journey to launch has not been free from controversy.

Neel Somani, co-founder and former CEO of Eclipse Labs, was ousted from the company in May after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged on social media. No criminal charges have been filed against Somani concerning these allegations.

Further controversy arose in July when a CoinDesk investigation revealed that Somani had secretly allocated a disproportionate share of its upcoming token supply to a partner at Polychain, its largest investor. Polychain informed CoinDesk that this side deal between Eclipse and its partner was not adequately disclosed and breached the fund's conflict of interest policies.