Vlayer to Develop Solidity 2.0 for Enhanced Ethereum Functionality

Developers at Vlayer aim to expand Ethereum’s capabilities by creating the Solidity 2.0 programming language for smart contracts.

? gm! We’ve raised $10M from @a16zcrypto CSX, @BlockTower @CredoVentures and top builders@Zac_Aztec @jaosef @recmo @yush_g @kaimi_eth @liameagen @kevaundray @matistanis @NamatBahram @vidiborvc @JMFlorkiewicz @MichalBene @dragonix_xpt

Solidity “2.0” is coming. Learn more? pic.twitter.com/i7jXwjYJ3L

— vlayer ⛛ (@vlayer_xyz) November 4, 2024

The project has secured $10 million from a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX), Credo Ventures, and BlockTower Capital. Among the angel investors are Remco Bloemen from World (formerly Worldcoin), Zac Williamson, Joe Andrews, and Kev Wedderburn from Aztec. 

The funding round was structured as a combination of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFE) and SAFT. 

Vlayer is developing a “verifiable data infrastructure,” referring to it as a new version of Solidity. The project’s goal is to enable Ethereum smart contracts to interact with real-world data.

Specifically, four new features will be introduced:

• Time Travel — execution of smart contracts using historical on-chain data;
• Teleport — deployment of contracts across multiple EVM-compatible networks;
• web proofs/zkTLS — verification and integration of web content, including API and websites;
• email proofs/ZK Email — access and verification of email content.

“We offer access to additional verifiable data sources directly through Solidity code. This means that ZK will finally be realized as something familiar and easy to use for any Solidity smart contract developer,” noted Vlayer CEO and co-founder Hubert Rachwalski von Reichewald.

According to him, the project takes a holistic approach to key data sources, integrating web proofs, email proofs, and storage proofs. Meanwhile, other projects typically focus on just one of these areas.

“For web proofs, you should know zkPass or Reclaim Protocol. For email proofs, you can use ZK Email directly, and for storage proofs — Axiom, Lagrange, or Brevis,” added Reichewald.

He expressed confidence that after exploring the capabilities of Solidity 2.0, developers will abandon working with the previous version. As AI develops and the use of dapps expands, the need for verifiable, reliable data will only increase, emphasized the head of Vlayer.

Currently, the platform is in alpha version. The launch of the testnet, mainnet, and network token is expected “no earlier than 2025.” 

Earlier, OpenAI’s GPT-4o model achieved the highest score in Solidity programming, surpassing o1-preview, o1-mini, and competitors.