Leading altcoin project Optimism (OP) announced that Layer 3 networks can now be built on the OP Stack and join the Superchain. Thus, Optimism has added two new features to the OP Stack to support the integration of Layer 3s.
Optimism’s Layer 3 Move
Optimism stated that Layer 3 networks can now be built on the OP Stack and share sequencer revenue with the governance body, Optimism Collective, to join the Superchain. Optimism mentioned that Layer 3 founders joining the Superchain would have access to retrospective funding, AirDrop, and growth campaigns, as well as a broad developer network. A Layer 3 network is a network that settles on one of Optimism’s Layer 2 networks, such as OP Mainnet, Base, Mode.
To support the integration of Layer 3s, Optimism added two new features to the OP Stack. The new features include custom gas tokens that allow networks to design their transaction fees and a solution called Plasma Mode, which allows networks to choose their own data availability (DA) layers.
Within the Superchain, Layer networks can deviate from standard OP Stack configurations to enable interoperability features. Despite these differences, Optimism is ready to include Layer 3 networks in the ecosystem.
Various infrastructure teams, including Syndicate, Caldera, Gelato Network, Chaindrop, Zeeve, and Conduit, will support projects in developing Layer 3 networks within the Superchain.
For those unfamiliar, Layer 3 networks are designed for specific applications, making them highly customizable and capable of handling much larger transaction volumes compared to Layer 1 and even Layer 2 networks.
Following Arbitrum and zkSync
Optimism is not the only project developing an ecosystem of Layer 3 networks. Offchain Labs, the team behind Arbitrum, introduced development tools in April 2023 called “Orbit” to facilitate development on Layer 3 networks. Similarly, zkSync is also offering Layer 3 features on its network through “Hyperchains”.
