While other projects are still struggling with data availability bottlenecks, Caldera's strategic cooperation with EigenCloud has pushed Rollup performance to new heights—after integrating EigenDA V2, its data throughput capability skyrocketed to 100 MB/s, capable of processing millions of transactions per second, completely breaking the ceiling of traditional Layer 2. This breakthrough not only makes Caldera the underlying support for 25% of the Rollup chains in the Ethereum ecosystem, but also heralds the true arrival of the modular blockchain era.
Technical Architecture: The Victory of Modular Design
Caldera's core competitiveness lies in its four-layer modular architecture:
1. Execution Layer: Supports dual virtual machines EVM/SolanaVM, allowing developers to freely choose their runtime environment. For example, RARI Chain implements NFT transaction fees below 0.01 USD based on EVM, while zkXPLA uses SolanaVM to provide sub-second confirmations for gaming scenarios.
2. Settlement Layer: Compatible with mainstream L1/L2 such as Ethereum and Polygon, ensuring the secure cross-chain transfer of assets. Injective's inEVM chain deploys EVM-compatible zones through Caldera on the Cosmos network, achieving seamless interaction with the Ethereum ecosystem.
3. Data Availability Layer: After introducing EigenDA V2, developers can switch to this layer with one click, reducing storage costs by 90% while obtaining bandwidth reservation guarantees, fundamentally solving the unpredictability of traditional DA layers.
4. Interoperability Layer (Metalayer): Based on the Hyperlane protocol, it enables cross-chain message transmission within 2 seconds, supporting both soft confirmations (daily transactions) and hard confirmations (large transfers), with over 30 chains including ApeChain and Manta Pacific already connected.
Economic Model: Token-driven ecological flywheel
The ERA token, as the core of the ecosystem, undertakes multiple missions:
• Governance Rights: Holders can vote on key decisions such as Metalayer upgrades and fee parameter adjustments. For example, in August 2025, the community approved a proposal to increase the ERA rewards for developers deploying Rollups by 20%, directly driving a 35% increase in the number of new chains launched.
• Cross-chain Gas: Within the Metalayer network, ERA is the only cross-chain trading fuel, avoiding users having to frequently exchange for Gas tokens across different chains. On the first day of Binance's launch, ERA's cross-chain trading volume exceeded 120 million USD, accounting for 40% of Caldera's total trading volume.
• Staking and Security: A staking mechanism will be launched in the future, allowing holders to earn annualized rewards of 8-15% through supporting fraud proofs or data availability verification; currently, the staking participation rate on the testnet has reached 62%.
• Backtracking Airdrop: The first batch of 250 million ERA tokens has been airdropped to 85,000 early users, with over 60% of tokens flowing into the community through airdrops and ecological incentives, forming strong user stickiness.
Future Outlook: The transformation from tools to ecosystem
Caldera has evolved from a simple Rollup deployment tool to the 'Internet of Rollups'. Its 30+ live chains cover areas such as DeFi, NFT, gaming, and more, with a total locked value exceeding 600 million USD and independent wallet numbers surpassing 10 million. With the implementation of Solana SVM support and the comprehensive application of EigenDA V2, Caldera is expected to capture 30% of the Ethereum Layer 2 market share by the end of 2025. As its CEO Matthew Katz stated: 'Our goal is not to be the largest Layer 2, but to be the most open Layer 0—allowing every developer to easily build their own blockchain universe.'
