Rome Protocol is building critical infrastructure on the Solana network, focusing on providing Shared Sequencer services for Rollups. What sets Rome apart is its utilization of the Neon EVM as the execution environment for these shared sequencers, ensuring EVM compatibility for the Rollups utilizing its services. The project also offers a comprehensive toolkit and execution environment, enabling seamless deployment and stable operation of EVM dApps on Solana. Currently, Rome Protocol has not released tokenomics information; this article will be updated upon any announcements.
Table Content:
How Rome Protocol Works
Before delving into the Rome Shared Sequencer solution, let’s briefly recap the role and operational model of Sequencers within the Rollup environment. Sequencers act as a bridge between Rollups and the underlying blockchain, responsible for validating and ordering transactions from the Rollup before submitting them to Layer 1.
Traditionally, Rollups employ a single, centralized Sequencer to optimize profits and simplify operations. However, this model presents risks, such as performance degradation if the Sequencer encounters issues. Reliance on a single Sequencer also limits the Rollup’s flexibility and scalability.
To address these challenges, Rome Protocol developed the Shared Sequencer solution, providing diverse Sequencer options for Rollups. The Rome Shared Sequencer architecture comprises two key components:
- Rhea: These are the shared sequencers within Rome Protocol. Rhea handles the receipt and processing of transactions from the Rollup.
- Hercules: Responsible for executing transactions on the Rollup and updating their status.
Rome Protocol differentiates itself by integrating the Neon EVM into its shared sequencer system. Neon EVM allows EVM dApps to run on the Solana network. By leveraging Solana’s high transaction throughput and low fees, Neon EVM enhances Rollup performance, reduces transaction confirmation times, and improves user experience.
Furthermore, to ensure data availability, Rome Protocol integrates the Celestia network layer for tasks related to Data Availability (DA). Celestia is responsible for validating transactions from the Rollup and the protocol.
Beyond its core Shared Sequencer solution, the project provides infrastructure and an SDK toolkit through two components: Rome Interop and Rome L2s, supporting dApp developers. Specifically:
- Rome Interop: Offers an SDK to facilitate seamless cross-chain transactions between Ethereum and Solana.
- Rome L2s: Provides a flexible development environment, allowing developers to customize and deploy EVM dApps on Solana.
Currently in its testnet phase, Rome Protocol encourages user participation for potential airdrop opportunities. Transactions on the network can be monitored and verified using Rome Explorer, functioning similarly to other explorers like Solscan and Etherscan.
The Team and Investors Behind Rome Protocol
The Team
Rome Protocol is founded by experienced professionals in technology and finance. Key members include:
- Anil Kumar: Co-founder of Rome Protocol, Anil brings over 25 years of financial experience, having held senior product management positions at JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank. He is also the Co-Founder of Coin Vesting.
- Sattvik Kansal: Co-founder of Rome Protocol, Sattvik has a background as a software engineer at Google and is a Cornell University graduate.
Investors
Rome Protocol has secured a total of $9 million in funding across two rounds:
Seed Round:
- Date: September 7, 2024
- Funding: $8 million
- Investors: Hashkey Capital, P2 Ventures, Robot Ventures, and others.
Pre-Seed Round:
- Date: June 15, 2024
- Funding: $1 million
- Investor: Portal Ventures
Similar Projects
A comparable project to Rome Protocol is Astria, a modular blockchain offering Shared Sequencer services for Rollup networks. Astria also focuses on providing a robust and scalable infrastructure for Rollup deployments.
