@Caldera Official latest major update is the mainnet launch of RARI Chain, an Arbitrum Orbit L3 rollup with embedded NFT royalty enforcement and thirdweb developer tools.
Creator-first L3: Enforces NFT royalties at the protocol level via node-layer logic.
EVM equivalence: Supports ETH/USDC payments and credit cards, with sub-cent fees.
Tooling expansion: Thirdweb’s full-stack dev tools now available across all Caldera chains.
Deep Dive
1. Release type & scope
RARI Chain represents a production-grade deployment of Caldera’s Arbitrum Orbit integration – a major milestone for its L3 capabilities. The chain went live on mainnet in July 2025 after testnet trials, targeting NFT creators needing enforceable royalty structures.
Key technical components:
Protocol-level royalties: Bakes creator compensation into transaction validation logic, preventing smart contract overrides (RARI Chain)
Arbitrum Nitro integration: Enables 200-500 TPS with 250ms block times while inheriting Ethereum’s security
2. Impact on users & devs
For developers:
Thirdweb tooling (wallets, contracts, payments) now standardized across Caldera chains
EVM equivalence simplifies porting existing dApps
For users:
Sub-$0.01 transaction costs via Arbitrum’s fee optimizations
Multi-currency support (ETH, USDC, credit cards) reduces friction for NFT collectors
Conclusion
Caldera’s RARI Chain deployment demonstrates its focus on vertical-specific rollups with baked-in economic models, while expanding tooling accessibility. The 500+ TPS throughput and protocol-native royalties could set new standards for NFT infrastructure.
Next question to explore: How does Caldera’s L3 approach using Arbitrum Orbit compare technically and economically to competitors like Optimism’s Superchain framework?