Cosmos-Based Canto Blockchain Reverses Course on Polygon Layer-2 Plans, Unveils New Roadmap

Cosmos-based layer-1 blockchain Canto unveiled its “Cyclone Stack,” aimed at scaling and improving performance. It is also reversing course on its previously announced plan to shift to an Ethereum layer-2 network.

Canto, a blockchain designed for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, first announced in September that it would become an Ethereum layer-2 network using Polygon’s Chain Development Kit (CDK). The team clarified on Friday, however, that it will continue to function as a Cosmos-based layer-1 network. It will run Polygon’s type-1 prover, plugging into their aggregation layer (AggLayer) designed to unify blockchain liquidity.

“Over the past few months we’ve been working closely with the polygon team doing research on the integration, and came to conclusion that we’ll be using their Type-1 prover to stay an L1 instead of becoming an L2,” a representative for Canto told CoinDesk in an email. “Consensus for this decision was made amongst all of the major contributors of Canto” and the project will tap into Polygon’s AggLayer after Canto has finished some other upgrades, the representative added.

Canto announced Friday that it is pushing ahead with its new Cyclone Stack update, which will consist of three key upgrades called the Callisto Upgrade, the Kallichore Upgrade and the Elara Upgrade. According to a Canto statement reviewed by CoinDesk, the upgrade is designed to speed up block times, increase storage access speeds and set new standards for execution.

Canto says its Cyclone stack will also be fully compatible with all EVM tooling and applications. (EVM stands for the Ethereum Virtual Machine and is the software that executes smart contracts, and helps blockchains like Canto support applications built for compatibility with Ethereum and similar chains).

“This comprehensive upgrade suite signifies a big step towards achieving high performance and scalability for Canto,” according to the press release. “Through these innovations, Canto is enhancing its platform for both developers and users alike.”

CORRECTION (March 15, 16:18 UTC): Following this story’s publication, a Canto representative clarified that the team has reversed course on its plan to transition to an Ethereum layer-2 network powered by Polygon’s CDK. Canto will remain a layer 1 blockchain and run Polygon’s type-1 prover. The team did not disclose this change publicly or to CoinDesk before publication.