Nethermind collaborates with Near and Eigen Labs to advance chain abstraction

Blockchain tools and infrastructure developer Nethermind has joined forces with Layer 1 protocol Near and restaking platform EigenLayer to advance chain abstraction.

Nethermind previously teamed up with EigenLayer to combine their respective Ethereum infrastructure and restaking capabilities in July 2023. The firm is now collaborating with developer Eigen Labs on the Near Fast Finality Layer (NFFL), a project led by Near designed to significantly improve the scalability, security, efficiency and interoperability between blockchains.

“As a key contributor in Ethereum's Layer 2 development, our work with Near and EigenLayer on the NFFL fits right into our goals,” Nethermind Head of Innovation Swapnil Raj said in a statement shared with The Block. “This collaboration is a big step towards making blockchain networks work better together, showing our dedication to bringing new ideas to life and connecting different parts of the blockchain world.”

By leveraging Near’s Data Availability (DA) solution, the NFFL project aims to overcome issues like liquidity fragmentation and high finality times, improving cross-chain communication. Rollups will be able to use a DA layer of their choice in future releases, including EigenDA, Nethermind said.

It added that the idea is to create the infrastructure required to develop decentralized applications that are more intuitive and universally accessible.

“We’re proud to incubate the NFFL project alongside the expert teams at Eigen Labs and Nethermind to deliver fast cross-rollup communication for app developers and defragment liquidity,” Near Protocol co-founder and Near Foundation CEO Illia Polosukhin said. “This initiative will advance NEAR’s longtime vision of chain abstraction for all of Web3 while also further scaling the Ethereum ecosystem.”

The NFFL is now live for testing on the Holesky EigenLayer testnet, enabling developers to provide feedback on its functionality ahead of a broader rollout.

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Nethermind collaborates with Near and Eigen Labs to advance chain abstraction

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