Gamma Testnet Launch: The Next Step Toward the Super World Computer

2d ago•

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QuarkChain is excited to announce the Gamma Testnet of the Super World Computer (SWC) — a step forward in our transition to Ethereum Layer 2.

This upgraded testnet brings us closer to the vision of Super World Computer by QuarkChain — scaling Ethereum, improving the developer and user experience, and serving as an open innovation playground for the Ethereum ecosystem.

Recap of the Last Beta Testnet

Our QuarkChain Layer 2 Beta Testnet has been live for approximately seven months, during which we’ve conducted comprehensive testing and significant infrastructure improvements. Key milestones and tests completed include:

Continuous Integration and Testing: Successfully passing all automated tests integrated into the CircleCI pipeline, ensuring robust, reliable builds.
Fault Dispute Game (FDG) Upgrade: Successfully upgraded from a permissioned dispute game to the fault dispute game.
Security Testing: Performed several security tests, including simulated malicious proposer attacks internally to validate the network defenses.
Performance Stress Tests: Executed intensive stress tests by simulating high transaction volumes within short intervals, validating network throughput and stability.
Node Synchronization: Verified smooth synchronization for both full nodes and archive nodes, ensuring consistent and efficient node operations.
Protocol Integrations: Deployed and tested protocol integrations such as web3:// and EthStorage, demonstrating our testnet’s ability to support diverse and sophisticated decentralized applications.

The results from these tests have been highly encouraging, contributing to a stable and robust test environment. Community developers, notably participants from ETHDenver this year, reported seamless development experiences on our testnet.

Motivation for the Gamma Testnet

We are now preparing to launch our Gamma Testnet, driven by several key objectives:

Testing New Features in the Pectra Upgrade: The Gamma Testnet introduces support for Ethereum’s Petra upgrade for the first time. We aim to thoroughly test new features, particularly EIP-7702, to confirm full functionality and compatibility.
Final Code Validation Before Mainnet Launch: Extensive codebase changes since our last Beta Testnet necessitate a thorough round of testing using the exact code slated for mainnet deployment, ensuring maximum reliability.
Mainnet-Like Phased Rollout Simulation: Our mainnet launch will follow a phased rollout strategy, gradually enabling key features such as Layer 2 BLOB and the Soul Gas Token. Replicating this phased approach in the testnet environment allows comprehensive testing and validation of each rollout stage.
Community Participation and Feedback: We actively invite developers and community members to test our infrastructure, ensuring broad-based user validation and input ahead of the mainnet release.

What We’ve Achieved Since the Last Testnet

In addition to thorough testing, several strategic developments have further improved our infrastructure and governance:

Native Token Bridge Simplification: We implemented a streamlined, single-direction native token bridge. This replaces the previously planned Custom Gas Token (CGT) feature, which was removed from the OP Stack. This change significantly reduces complexity in our codebase, facilitating easier maintenance and alignment with upstream updates.
Enhanced Code Transparency: Launched ForkDiff websites (op-node.quarkchain.io and op-geth.quarkchain.io), clearly highlighting code differences compared to upstream repositories. This enhances transparency, auditability, and trustworthiness.
Comprehensive Code Audits: Completed internal and external audits of our codebase.
Community Governance Voting: Successfully executed a governance voting process, where our community supported the proposed Layer 2 migration plan.

What’s Next: Gamma Testnet & Road to Mainnet

With the launch of our Gamma testnet, we enter the final phase of preparation before deploying the Super World Computer Layer 2 mainnet, scheduled for Q3/Q4 2025. This testnet will validate the production-ready codebase and simulate our planned phased mainnet rollout.

Alongside mainnet readiness, we’ll continue our collaboration with OP Labs on upstream components like the Inbox Contract and Advanced Fault Proof, and contribute actively to the Ethereum developer community — particularly around high-performance EVM initiatives such as block-level access list and JIT EVM compiler.

These efforts reflect our vision behind the Super World Computer — to serve as Ethereum’s R&D engine, where new ideas in scalability, AI, and decentralization can be built, tested, and shared openly with the world.

📘 Learn more in the Super World Computer Docs.

Join QuarkChain’s Gamma testnet & help build the future of Web3

We invite developers, researchers, and the Web3 community to participate in our Gamma Testnet. Your feedback is essential to preparing the mainnet and refining this next-generation Layer 2.