According to Blockworks, Optimism has announced a new initiative to create a native protocol layer aimed at solving liquidity fragmentation within its ecosystem of rollup chains, known as the Superchain. This new layer-2 solution seeks to unify the ecosystem through a universal standard of interoperability, addressing issues that arise when users need third-party bridges to move between chains. The new protocol layer will consist of four main components: a message passing protocol for cross-chain communication, a standardized SuperchainERC20 token standard for bridged assets, an interoperable chain set for all OP Stack rollup chains to read data from, and a shared interop fault proof system to allow fault proofs between multiple chains.

Optimism's native protocol layer will also incorporate ERC-7683, a proposed standard by Uniswap and Across, to facilitate interoperability on the dapp layer. The rollout will follow a three-stage roadmap, starting with a devnet launch to gather feedback, followed by a testnet launch that includes the message passing protocol and SuperchainERC20 token standard, and culminating in a mainnet launch. The ultimate goal is to create a seamless cross-chain experience for users, not only within the Optimism ecosystem but also across Ethereum, enhancing liquidity and user convenience.

The OP Stack, an open-source and modular software development stack used to deploy customized rollups, has gained significant traction, largely due to its first-mover advantage in the open-source network. Optimism's Superchain currently includes 29 OP Stack chains, such as Base, Blast, and Zora, more than any other rollup development stack. Worldcoin's upcoming World Chain layer-2, backed by Sam Altman, is also set to launch using the OP Stack later this year. As of August 2024, these 29 chains account for 36.4% of all layer-2 transactions and control $16.57 billion in total value locked (TVL), according to L2beat.