The Base network, an Ethereum layer-2 incubated by Coinbase, announced it is moving away from the open-source Optimism (OP) Stack to develop its own unified technology. This shift aims to accelerate upgrades and reduce overhead, with a goal of scaling to 1 billion gas units per second. Node operators will need to migrate to the new client in the coming months. The network also plans to double its hard forks to six per year to ship improvements more frequently.
The Ethereum layer-2 scaling network Base, which was incubated by publicly traded crypto exchange Coinbase, said it will modify its technology foundation. It is introducing a new unified tech stack to ship upgrades faster and reduce overhead.
The network will move away from the Optimism technology stack, an open-source framework also used by other networks. “Excited to share that we are evolving our technical roadmap, consisting of our own spec, code, and infra to accelerate the foundation of Base,” Base Head of Product Wilson Cusack posted.
This strategic target of 1 gigagas per second was highlighted as the network’s “north star” in a previous roadmap. As part of its transition, the network aims to ship six network hard-forks per year, doubling its current output.
The Base developer blog stated that the current code is spread across multiple repositories, adding coordination overhead. The new unified solution, built on open-sourced components, is intended to dramatically simplify the number of components.
While no immediate action is required, node operators and developers will need to migrate to the Base client over the next few months. The changes are expected to make the network more decentralized and scalable in the future.
The roadmap update follows Coinbase‘s recent quarterly earnings, which highlighted its intention to drive transactions on the network this year. Last year, representatives confirmed that Base is exploring the launch of its own native token.
The network currently ranks as the highest layer-2 in bridged total value locked, according to data from DefiLlama. Shares of COIN are down about 1%, changing hands around $164, and have fallen nearly 49% in the last six months.
