December 18, 2024 - Sophon mainnet is officially launched, launching the first ZKsync Validium based on Avail DA support. Through the Sophon staking program, the total TVL has exceeded US$500 million, and many well-known partners have gathered in the ecosystem. Sophon is paving a new path for scalable, consumer-centric blockchain applications.

The launch has been very well received by the community: over 5,800 unique participants have purchased over 120,000 node licenses, which are now available. $SOPH tokens are live today (not transferable yet), and all transactions are free for users in the initial phase. Node holders will start earning rewards from January 1, 2025, and full transferability and trading of tokens is expected to be achieved in Q1 2025.

Leading Partners

Sophon is user-centric and focuses on providing solutions that allow the public to easily experience blockchain. This mainnet launch has joined hands with many industry leaders to promote blockchain into daily life:

  • Mirai Labs: A leading mobile gaming studio with over 27 million wallets registered to date.

  • OPEN Ticketing: A ticketing platform that supports 24,000 events worldwide and has sold over 7 million tickets;

  • Aethir - provides next generation distributed computing solutions.

  • Rivalry: Publicly traded gaming company bringing community ownership to the multi-billion dollar gaming industry;

  • Anomaly - provides AI-powered proxy services on Reddit, Telegram, and Discord.

  • NooN, Brutal Knights, Gamp and more partners will also participate.

Pioneering a consumer-centric crypto experience

Sophon is well aware that mainstream users are not interested in blockchain technology itself, but in experience and value. By focusing on entertainment applications, Sophon has created an ecosystem where blockchain technology enhances rather than complicates the user experience.

This vision is achieved through strategic partnerships with industry pioneers. For example, Sophon is working with Beam, which plans to launch the first gaming-focused fund and accelerator in Abu Dhabi with a target size of $150 million. At the same time, Sophon has also funded a $40 million "Tactical Compute" program that focuses on supporting projects at the intersection of encryption and AI. These collaborations ensure that Sophon is not only building infrastructure, but also driving the growth of the entire ecosystem.

Making history

The Sophon mainnet is now live, becoming the first Validium based on ZKsync and using Avail's external data availability layer, bringing unparalleled scalability, security and cost savings. By building its own light node using Avail's modular application development stack, Sophon ensures high performance while maintaining full decentralization and data availability, setting a new standard for modular blockchain design.

“Sophon leverages the full potential of the Avail network, demonstrating how blockchain can remain verifiably decentralized in high-load use cases such as entertainment,” said Anurag Arjun, co-founder of Avail.

ZKsync is a Layer 2 protocol designed to scale Ethereum while maintaining data privacy in the Validium implementation via Avail DA. It effectively scales the network through zero-knowledge protocols while also enhancing interoperability.

Alex Gluchowski, co-founder of ZKsync, commented: “The launch of the Sophon mainnet on ZKsync is a pivotal moment in the history of blockchain technology. As a ZKsync Validium leveraging Avail, Sophon is poised to revolutionize the playable entertainment chain by providing enhanced scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness. With a laser-like focus on user experience and a growing ecosystem of innovative partners, Sophon will unleash the full potential of blockchain on a global scale.”

This modular architecture not only sets a new benchmark in blockchain design, but also makes Sophon ideal for high-throughput applications seeking mainstream adoption.

"The Internet changed the world without explaining how it technically works," said Sebastien, co-founder and CEO of Sophon. "Sophon is creating a goal where digital culture, entertainment and value are seamlessly integrated, allowing encryption technology to be naturally integrated into daily life applications. Today is the starting point of this journey."

About Sophon

Sophon is the ultimate platform for the next generation of entertainment applications, ranging from games to AI-driven applications. It is the preferred platform for entrepreneurs and major players in the entertainment industry to build on-chain products, providing users with unprecedented new ways to make money, interact and have fun.
For more information, visit sophon.xyz
Media Contact: Oskari Tempakka (oskari@sophon.xyz)

About Avail

The Avail network is a modular application development stack that aims to establish blockchain as the Internet's verification system. By solving key challenges in rollup scalability, interoperability, and availability, Avail provides a foundational Data Availability (DA) layer based on the same technologies planned in the Ethereum danksharding roadmap, including KZG commitments and Data Availability Sampling (DAS). Avail is led by former Polygon co-founder Anurag Arjun and head of research Prabal Banerjee. Visit availproject.org to start your Avail journey today.

For more information, visit availproject.org
Media contact: Luke Richardson (luke@clpr.agency)

About ZKsync

ZKsync is a groundbreaking zero-knowledge technology that provides the next generation of developers with unlimited scalability. Through mathematically guaranteed security and native interoperability design, ZKsync enables a resilient network and builds an ever-expanding customizable chain ecosystem. ZKsync technology is deeply rooted in the mission of promoting personal freedom and making digital self-ownership universal.

For more information, please visit http://www.zksync.io

Sophon related links:

Official website: sophon.xyz
X：  https://x.com/sophon
Discord： https://discord.com/invite/sophonhub
TG： https://t.me/SophonHub
Sophon Asia: https://x.com/Sophon_Asia