Research
The rollup landscape is changing rapidly, and we at t1 strive to stay at the bleeding edge. Our research focuses on improving scalable composability among and between blockchains and rollups.
t1 is the cross-chain application infra to enable better web3 UX​
Authors: Can Kisagun, CEO & Co-Founder of t1
t1 is the first cross-chain application that introduces real-time proving (RTP) and programmability to fix fragmentation and composability challenges in scaling Ethereum. By leveraging AVS-secured Trusted Execution Environments (TEE), t1 introduces real-time proofs that prove the integrity of t1 execution to Ethereum in less time than it takes to create a block on Ethereum (less than 12 seconds). By running partner rollup nodes in its node infrastructure, t1 aggregates and proves their state to Ethereum in real-time. As a result, t1 enables instant settlement between any combination of partner rollups and Ethereum, providing composability. All execution in t1 is cryptographically verified via zk-compressed Remote Attestation coming from Intel TDX Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), ensuring that state transitions are provably correct, tamper-proof, and bound to the current protocol version. In addition to real-time proving, t1 supports general-purpose smart contract programmability and enables writes to partner rollups, in addition to reading their state.
Full article: t1 is the cross-chain application infra to enable better web3 UX
The Rollup Fragmentation Problem​
Authors: Can Kisagun, CEO & Co-Founder of t1
Rollups, which execute transactions outside of Ethereum (off-chain) and post integrity (execution) proofs and transaction data to Layer 1 for verification, have scaled Ethereum in a secure and performant way, enabling significant reduction in transaction fees and improvements in user experience. However, while improving scalability, rollups also introduced siloed execution that led to liquidity fragmentation and broke composability in Ethereum. In this article, we talk about the rollup fragmentation problem, its implications for users and developers, and we explore how emerging technologies can restore composability. Ethereum ultimately needs to provide a unified and composable ecosystem where users can interact with different applications seamlessly, across rollups. To get there, the focus must be on shared sequencing and real-time proof generation.
Full article: The Rollup Fragmentation Problem
Introducing t1: Unifying Ethereum’s Ecosystem for the Future of Web3​
Authors: Can Kisagun, CEO & Co-Founder of t1
Today, we are excited to share more about t1 and our journey. We believe Ethereum should not only be the most decentralized smart contracting ecosystem but also the blockchain with the best user and developer experience. Ethereum best embodies the ethos and values that inspire us about the future of blockchain technology. It has the most decentralized community—a place where the brightest minds gather and innovation thrives. However, the best technology doesn’t always win. We believe that for Ethereum to provide the best user and developer experience, the rollup fragmentation problem must be solved. The vision of a unified Ethereum ecosystem truly excites us. We started t1 earlier this year to make this vision a reality.
Full article: Introducing t1
How to run Reth in Intel TDX​
Authors: KSS, Founding Engineer at t1
Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) are hardly a novelty. They are currently one of the most established methods of performing verifiable computation server-side. As crazy as it sounds, SGX was introduced by Intel nearly a decade ago. The wider blockchain community took its time to realize how great of a pairing TEEs and blockchains are, and harness that potential by taking the best of on-chain security and off-chain performance. There were some good reasons to be cautious about Intel SGX with its poor developer experience, lack of crucial features and numerous exploits (https://sgx.fail/, anyone?). In the end, with the release of Intel TDX in 2023 and great RnD teams such as Flashbots and Automata paving the path, many L2 solutions decided to adopt TEEs as a crucial extension of their tech.
Full article: How to run Reth in Intel TDX