Manta Pacific, an Optimistic Rollup project that was launched a few weeks ago using OP Stack, is making a major strategic shift.
From Optimistic Rollup to ZK-rollup
The project’s leaders announced on Monday their intention to switch to Polygon’s Chain Development Kit (CDK). This means that Manta Pacific will abandon its role as an Optimistic Rollup in favor of a ZK-rollup. The latter approach relies on zero-knowledge proofs, a major trend in 2023. In addition to OP Stack and Polygon zkEVM, other competing kits are being developed by players such as Matter Labs and Arbitrum.
The Purpose of SDKs/CDKs
The main objective of these SDKs/CDKs is to provide free tools for developers to create custom blockchains. Celo recently expressed interest in Polygon’s CDK, potentially calling into question its choice for OP Stack.
Impact on OP Labs
Manta’s recent decision could affect the dominant position of OP Labs, which gained visibility through the selection of OP Stack as the foundation for Coinbase’s Layer 2. OP Labs is the main developer of Optimism, which ranks just after Arbitrum as Ethereum’s Layer 2.
Security Concerns
However, the key concern driving Manta Pacific to turn to Polygon’s CDK is security. Currently, OP Stack does not integrate fault proofs, which are essential for Optimistic Rollup technology. Kenny Li, co-founder of Manta, highlighted that even if these proofs were available, their effective generation in the network remains uncertain, which could cause delays.
Transition to ZK-rollup
Nevertheless, the transition from Manta to a ZK-rollup will require a six to nine-month timeframe, according to its co-founder.
