Developer teams of leading Ethereum Layer-2 networks such as Polygon and zkSync have announced their support for the proposed Beam Chain plan to restructure the Ethereum consensus layer.

This proposal aims to make Ethereum’s blockchain infrastructure more efficient, but it was emphasized that this will not make Ethereum’s Layer-2 networks unnecessary.

Beam Chain’s proposal includes changes to the base layer of Ethereum. Ethereum has a structure consisting of various layers. The consensus layer ensures the accuracy and validity of the blocks, while the execution layer represents the part that carries out the transactions.

Layer-2 networks, as second layers running on top of Ethereum, send data back to Ethereum to ensure accuracy and make transactions faster and cheaper. However, changes to Ethereum’s base layer may impact Layer-2 networks.

Justin Drake, Ethereum developer and main proponent of Beam Chain, presented this plan at the Devcon event. One of the main goals of the plan is to integrate zero-knowledge cryptography (ZK) into Ethereum’s consensus layer.

ZK is a technology used especially in Layer-2 networks and reduces transaction costs by compressing transaction data. This technology makes transactions faster and safer. Ethereum’s compatibility with this technology promises to provide a more efficient structure for the entire network.

However, this development seems to have eliminated concerns that Layer-2 networks will become unnecessary. Matter Labs CEO Alex Gluchowski stated that these changes will only affect Ethereum’s consensus layer and will not touch the execution layer.

That means Layer-2 networks will not be directly affected by these changes. According to Gluchowski, the innovations proposed by Beam Chain will increase the functionality of Layer-2 networks by making Ethereum stronger.

Polygon co-founder Brendan Farmer similarly said he believes Beam Chain will not make Layer-2 networks obsolete, but rather that this upgrade will make rollup technologies more efficient.

Farmer stated that factors such as short block times, faster finality and ZK verification will make Layer-2 networks more usable and interoperable. Such improvements will make it possible for different Layer-2 networks running on Ethereum to interact with each other more seamlessly.

Another innovation targeted with Beam Chain is to reduce transaction costs by shortening block times. While it usually takes 12 to 19 minutes to finalize blocks in Ethereum, this time can be reduced to 12 seconds with Beam Chain.

This will enable Layer-2 networks to process faster and significantly improve the user experience. Additionally, this innovation will increase interoperability on the Ethereum network, allowing Layer-2 networks to interact with each other faster and more securely.

These major innovations in Ethereum will increase the potential of Layer-2 networks and make Ethereum more efficient.

Features such as integrating zero-knowledge cryptography into the consensus layer and shortening block times will significantly improve Ethereum’s scalability. This lays the foundation for a more powerful and efficient blockchain infrastructure for both Layer-1 and Layer-2 networks.