Our core engineering team, comprising over 20 developers, continuously maintains, enhances, and upgrades our flagship product - the Nethermind Execution Client, launched in 2017. There are regular releases with improvements to memory consumption, performance, stability and user experience optimizations. Through our work on the Ethereum client, we continuously implement new features and improvements to the Ethereum protocol, including developing and testing consensus algorithms, improving smart contract execution and gas efficiency, and optimizing network scalability.
Proto-danksharding is the first step towards implementing the complete sharding roadmap by introducing a new transaction format that adds space for the data ‘blob’ next to the ordinary transactions. The upgrade adds 0.5 MB data 'blob' space per block, significantly reducing rollup transaction costs. Nethermind has one of the most stable implementations of this specification, boosting Ethereum scalability efforts. Our team supports the development of the KZG library, a key component under the hood of the sharding infrastructure. We actively participate in discussions surrounding the spec to ensure a successful rollout.
Our core development team was recently awarded a grant from the Ethereum Foundation to implement and embed an efficient storage engine for Ethereum in the Nethermind client. The Merkle construct should be implemented to allow for the use of the same or similar engine as the Verkle tree in the future. The project will also provide guidance for a reorganization-aware, checksum-based storage system for Ethereum, and we hope it becomes a blueprint for other clients.
Originally developed as a part of the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) project, Libp2p is a modular, extensible, and future-proof networking stack designed to overcome the limitations of current peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols such as centralized architecture, inefficient multiplexing, limited transport support and location-based addressing. Its goal is to offer a more adaptable, resilient, and efficient networking stack for building decentralized applications and systems. Nethermind recently received a grant from the Ethereum Foundation to implement the library in .NET and we are collaborating with multiple parties to make the library a performant extensible solution available as a public good.
It’s a set of six Ethereum Improvment Proposals (EIPs) for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), aimed at improving its underlying code (EVM bytecode) by adding structure and introducing subroutines. The result? Better analysis, more efficient code execution, and a simpler way to extend the EVM instruction set, giving developers more flexibility when creating new features. EOF is a significant step towards optimizing Ethereum's performance and offering a more developer-friendly environment. Nethermind is one of the first clients to have implemented EOF.
Verkle Trees tackle Ethereum's growing blockchain size, enabling faster, cost-effective data access for users and nodes. By achieving weak statelessness and using a more efficient vector commitment scheme, Verkle Trees reduce data storage and produce smaller proofs for quicker block validation. Nethermind actively develops and tests this solution, collaborating with other Ethereum client teams to ensure a seamless transition from Merkle to Verkle Trees.
The shift from EOAs to smart contract wallets with arbitrary verification logic paves the way for improvements to wallet designs and reduces complexity for end users. Previous solutions relied on centralized relay services or a steep gas overhead, which inevitably fell on the users' EOA. Nethermind played a pivotal role in the early stages of account abstraction and EIP-4337 was a collaborative effort between the Ethereum Foundation, OpenGSN, and Nethermind to achieve account abstraction in a user-friendly, decentralized way. Currently, Nethermind is focusing on delivering a .NET implementation for Libp2p, which is a prerequisite for supporting future advancements in account abstraction in the Nethermind client.
Starknet operates as a Layer 2 of Ethereum, allowing protocols and apps to achieve huge scale while maintaining Ethereum’s composability and security. Considered one of the most promising scaling solutions out there, it's crucial that Starknet aligns with the decentralization ethos of its parent blockchain. Nethermind is in a strategic partnership with StarkWare and a key player in the development of the Starknet ecosystem.
We're flexing our protocol engineering muscles and demonstrating our commitment to supporting Starknet client diversity and decentralization by developing Juno, a full-node client implementation. Our developer toolset extends beyond node engineering, featuring Voyager, a Starknet block explorer and data analytics platform. With these tools, we aim to help developers and protocols unleash the full scaling potential of Starknet.
Gnosis Chain is a layer 1 blockchain platform that aims to provide a highly scalable and flexible infrastructure for decentralized applications (dApps) and other use cases. It is built on top of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and utilizes a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm.
Our engineering team helped Gnosis Chain to implement and deliver Merge from Aura to PoS. Furthermore, Gnosis Chain has been using Nethermind Client for months as the only execution client without any issues. Nethermind has a long-term engagement with Gnosis Chain.