by Anoma has advanced its efforts to simplify Web3 with the announcement of its mainnet launch on Ethereum. Spearheaded by the Anoma Foundation, the initiative secured $60 million in funding from notable investors. This launch represents a critical move towards unifying the “fractured blockchain ecosystem” under a single application layer, with the objective of ensuring sovereignty and accessibility for both developers and users.
The company, founded in 2020, has introduced a unique strategy in the Web3 sector that emphasizes decentralization through an intent-centric mechanism. This approach enables users to articulate their desired outcomes without requiring them to perform any actions. Then, a group of problem solvers looks at the users’ goals and figures out the best ways to achieve them using different blockchains and execution environments.
Adrian Brink, co-founder of Anoma, discussed in an interview with Techopedia their development of an operating system (OS) specifically designed for Web3. He elaborated on the implications of Anoma’s launch on Ethereum’s (ETH) mainnet for the company’s future trajectory.
Anoma Launches the Mainnet to Bring Intents to Ethereum
Anoma is described as an “abstraction” that operates above existing Layer-1 and Layer-2 blockchains, offering a unified interface for interactions rather than being a blockchain itself. It serves as an application layer for all cryptocurrencies, allowing developers to deploy a single app compatible with multiple chains and assets. The project’s rollout begins with its Ethereum mainnet launch, followed by key Layer-2s like Optimism, Arbitrum, and Base.
In the long run, Anoma intends to implement additional protocol adapters for connectivity with other ecosystems like Solana and Bitcoin. It has also launched its native token, XAN, which is an ERC-20 asset facilitating protocol governance. Co-founder Christopher Goes stated that Anoma’s approach contrasts with typical new protocols, emphasizing first-principles optimization for enhanced developer and user experience, scalability, and adaptability to evolving technological needs.
Intents, which have existed since the dawn of humanity, articulate a person’s desired outcome and the actions required to achieve it. For instance, the intent behind buying a coffee involves simply handing over cash to receive the beverage, accomplished without the need to grasp complex details like currency exchange or payment systems.
Crypto intents simplify on-chain user interactions by enabling users to express their goals, such as swapping Ethereum (ETH) for Bitcoin (BTC), without technical knowledge of the process. Anoma’s system improves access to blockchain technology by enabling users to specify their goals. Launching on Ethereum provides Anoma with immediate liquidity access, diverse layer-2 solutions, and a broad user and developer community.
Rethinking Web3: Anoma’s More Comprehensive Perspective
Anoma was established prior to the Ethereum mainnet launch to address a critical innovation gap in the Web3 space. Brink criticized the crypto ecosystem’s focus on minor upgrades, particularly to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), advocating for a protocol built from the ground up to facilitate true sovereign coordination, the core purpose of cryptocurrency. He emphasized the importance of sovereignty in creating effective coordination systems.
Web3’s user experience (UX) is criticized for being unintuitive and overly technical, requiring users to manage multiple wallets and understand complex processes like bridging assets and handling gas fees. This complexity creates significant barriers for non-technical users and adds friction for experienced ones.
Anoma’s architecture simplifies blockchain interaction through its intent-centric model, eliminating the need for users to understand blockchain mechanics. Developers can utilize the Anoma SDK to create applications in various programming languages, ensuring that deployed apps are compatible across all chains using the Anoma protocol. This approach allows for a single deployment, reducing complexity and enhancing upgrade processes across multiple chains.
Energizing Goals Throughout Chains
Anoma, initially deployed on Ethereum, is a chain-agnostic protocol compatible with most significant blockchains. Its architecture consists of three layers: the application layer for app deployment, the networking layer with node operators known as solvers, and the underlying blockchains.
Unlike traditional blockchain validators or miners, solvers operate by running Anoma software to monitor intents and find solutions to user outcomes, without holding user assets. This permissionless operation does not depend on a global consensus mechanism, addressing scalability by employing a local consensus that resolves operations as needed, thus minimizing overhead and latency.
Brink stated that Anoma’s local consensus system is only constrained by physical laws and the speed of light. He noted that Anoma can also manage large transaction volumes on blockchains with global consensus, such as Ethereum, by utilizing zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), which help address scalability challenges on Ethereum.
The Bottom Line
Anoma’s early adopters, such as Anoma Pay and SullySwap, demonstrate the potential of Web3 transitioning towards a unified design. Hunter MacDonald, co-founder of Orda, emphasized Anoma’s role as a distributed OS facilitating private swaps and global liquidity, crucial for creating programmable settlement systems. Success for Anoma may lead to a cohesive blockchain ecosystem.
FAQs
What is the primary objective of Anoma in Web3?
Anoma seeks to serve as an application layer for any blockchain, enabling cross-chain communication between developers and consumers via a single, intent-based platform.
How does the intent-centric paradigm developed by Anoma operate?
Users communicate their desired results rather than carrying out transactions directly. Anoma’s decentralized node network, Solvers, then determines effective means of achieving those goals across chains.
