Devnet Is Coming

=nil; Foundation is proud to share our public product roadmap and announce the launch of our first zkSharding Devnet at EthCC Brussels in less than two weeks.



Last November, we announced =nil; — an Ethereum L2 powered by zkSharding. 

The =nil; Devnet is the first major step towards reaching our end goal of unlocking horizontal scaling for Ethereum. We’re incredibly proud of our team and thankful for the continued support of our community, partners, and investors.

As we launch our Devnet in July, we want to invite you to join a select group of devs that will test our proof of concept along with the core team. 

We’re committed to building in public and ensuring that =nil; fits the needs of the community. By joining our Devnet launch program, you get to shape what =nil; becomes as we get one step closer to Mainnet. 

From Devnet to Mainnet: The Timeline

July 2024: The =nil; Devnet (V0)

The first proof of concept for zkSharding and a chance for a select group of developers to join our core team to identify and address bugs, build support for various tooling, and stress test the system.

What you’ll be able to do with the first Devnet:

• Deploy contracts
• Interact with contracts
• Retrieve contract state
• Demonstrate both sync and async contract calls for several scenarios

The Devnet program will focus on the development of various DEX architectures, however, participants have the option to build anything they want.

Want to join the team testing the Devnet during a dedicated workshop at EthCC Brussels? Join the waitlist here. 

November 2024: The Ecosystem Testnet (V1)

At this point, we will be ready to invite more builders to test the limits of =nil;. The goal of this phase is to start developing hyper-scalable applications and test updates after the Devnet.

We’re aiming to roll out:

• Networking infrastructure layer
• DevEx improvements and adjustments from Devnet
• Additional developer tooling and dependency support

If you think of the Devnet as a closed simulation of our architecture, the Ecosystem Testnet will be a version with real sharding, open to a wider set of developers. 

Q2 and Q3 2025: Testnets V2 and V3

We want to refine =nil; as much as we can before launching Mainnet. In 2025, we plan to tinker with two testnets to roll out the first version of the zkEVM, prioritize improvements to DevEx and UX, and introduce support for major developer tooling. 

With the Testnet V3, we’re going to focus on stability and performance by stress testing the cluster. And then, by the end of the year… 

Q4 2025: The Mainnet Alpha

The Mainnet Alpha will be open to all. At this point, after four testnets, we expect =nil; to get as close to its final form as possible. 

As we head towards the Mainnent Alpha, we’re going to be working on:

• zkEVM+ (V1)
• Placeholder Proof System upgrades for performance
  • Exploring new algorithms and techniques: Lasso, Nova & folding, alternative fields, etc.
• Canonical bridge
• Proof generation speed and cost optimizations
• Full end-to-end system audits
• Extensive developer documentation 

What Comes Next?

Next, we build. We’re developing something new and expect to see this roadmap change as we encounter and solve different challenges. We’re committed to working with our developers to get it right and will keep you updated as we go.

We believe =nil; has the potential to change the game for Ethereum scaling. zkSharding will enable =nil; to securely process an increasing number of transactions, with the ability to scale horizontally as needed. 

In its final form, =nil; solves state and liquidity fragmentation and ensures universal access to a decentralized and fair global economy. 

We’re going from alpha to full decentralization–the time to jump in is now.