Telos to Develop a Hardware-Accelerated zkEVM Layer 2 in Partnership with Ponos Technology

Today, we are thrilled to announce one of the most significant milestones in Telos' history: During our executive Director John Lilic’s speech at TOKEN2049, we unveiled that Telos has initiated the development of a hardware-accelerated zkEVM L2 Ethereum network in collaboration with Ponos Technology, leaders in providing cutting-edge hardware-software (HW-SW) solutions for core blockchain infrastructure. 

“Fundamentally, Ethereum will need to take a hardware-software co-design approach in order to realize zkEVM performance at tremendous scale. That’s the approach we’re taking with Ponos Technology and our growing partner network as we build a hardware-accelerated zkEVM L2. We believe that this formula, alongside the exciting work our team is doing with recursive proofs via SNARKtor, is going to offer compelling services to the Ethereum community and beyond.” - John Lilic 

While plans for the network were officially released at TOKEN2049, our teams have been quietly working behind the scenes on the construction and development of the L2 for some time. Along with Ponos, we will be taking a fresh approach to network construction by designing the hardware and software in tandem, a methodology that can open the door to powerful zkEVM performance at scale by reducing latency while simultaneously improving cost and energy efficiency. The network will also be powered by SNARKtor, the decentralized recursive proof aggregator developed by Telos’ Head of ZK Technology, Alberto Garoffolo.

In addition to Ponos, we will be teaming up with a number of key partners to develop, distribute and raise awareness of the network, including:

• Digital M.O.B. - One of the strongest Ethereum developer teams in the world, having worked on projects including MetaMask, MakerDAO and Gnosis, among others. 
• ATKA - A Paris-based end-to-end web3 incubator who helped incubate world class projects such as Morpho and Mangrove, and whom we announced a strategic partnership with in March 2024. 
• Cometh - An award-winning dev team led by ETH France President Jerome de Tychey, who joined Telos as a technical EVM advisor, also in March 2024.

Check the full team here. 

While advances in ZK technology carry immense promise, developers have continued to run into roadblocks while working to achieve rapid speeds and top flight security at scale. Our team and our partners at Ponos believe that now is the time to build a network that can contribute to overcoming many of the hurdles that currently exist in the space, while concurrently offering compelling services to the Ethereum community and beyond.

Further updates on the new L2 will be provided in the lead up to ETHCC in Brussels this July, where we’re a primary sponsor and will be delivering  a live demo of SNARKtor POC with proof aggregation for the first time ever. Check out our website for more information. 

FAQ

What happens to the Telos network and existing EVM?  

The Telos Network and EVM will continue its upgrade plan as outlined in the roadmap.  These upgrades will bring significantly improved performance and improved Ethereum operation parity. Whilst there is some overlap in functionality of TelosEVM and the new Snarktor powered Ethereum L2, the new EVM will offer different advantages and tradeoffs for users and developers alike as well as provide key services back to Telos relating to zero knowledge. 

Will there still be a team working on Telos? TCD/ TF?

The Telos Foundation & Technical Development team will continue operations on Telos, the development of the Snarktor Powered Ethereum L2 will be primarily handled by a new team.

Will this impact the BP structure on Telos?   

There will not be any planned changes to the current validator structure with the launch of the Etheruem L2. The Evolution of the Telos L0/L1 ecosystem will continue as usual via community governance.

What will happen to the DApps on Telos?   

There will not be any changes to the current DApp onboard or support structure with the launch of the Etheruem L2. Dapps will have the option of adding the new Ethereum L2.