QuarkChain Community Voting Proposal: Migration to an Ethereum Layer 2

QuarkChain Community — This proposal outlines a plan to migrate QuarkChain from a standalone sharded Layer-1 to an Ethereum L2 network using the OP Stack. The migration aims to align QuarkChain more closely with Ethereum’s ecosystem, leverage Ethereum’s robust security, improve interoperability with Ethereum-based projects, and enable rapid innovation experiments on Ethereum. This document details the motivations for the migration, the migration plan, and the governance process for approval. All community members are encouraged to review this proposal carefully and participate in the Snapshot vote on this pivotal upgrade.

Motivation

QuarkChain’s core vision is to provide a scalable, interoperable blockchain platform. Transitioning to an Ethereum L2 will dramatically strengthen QuarkChain’s technical foundation and connectivity. Key motivations include:

• Enhanced Security: By anchoring to Ethereum’s security, QuarkChain will gain much stronger security assurances than any standalone chain can provide. Ethereum is the most battle-tested, decentralized smart contract platform, and an L2 inherits Ethereum’s economic security. This significantly hardens QuarkChain against attacks. In practice, transactions on QuarkChain L2 will benefit from Ethereum’s finality and consensus integrity, greatly reducing the risk of 51% attacks or double-spends.
• Ecosystem Interoperability (Trustless Bridging): Running on the OP Stack enables native trustless bridges between QuarkChain and Ethereum for seamless, secure liquidity sharing. Currently, moving assets between QuarkChain and other chains relies on external bridge solutions. As an Ethereum L2, QuarkChain will use Ethereum’s L2 canonical bridge, making cross-chain transfers simple and trustless, while avoiding the risks of third-party bridges. QuarkChain L2 will be natively connected to Ethereum, allowing QKC and other tokens to move easily between QuarkChain L2 and Ethereum’s DeFi ecosystem.
• Ethereum Alignment & Developer Experience: Becoming an Ethereum L2 cements QuarkChain’s EVM compatibility and aligns it with Ethereum’s roadmap, providing a seamless developer and user experience. QuarkChain already builds on Ethereum’s technology and vision, and trustless connectivity to Ethereum brings even closer alignment and shared development progress. Ethereum developers can build on QuarkChain L2 with minimal changes, using familiar tools and benefiting from Ethereum’s network effects. Tying QuarkChain’s future to Ethereum’s rollup-centric roadmap ensures long-term relevance as Ethereum evolves.
• Rapid Innovation Experiment: Operating as an Ethereum L2 allows QuarkChain to experiment with and deploy Ethereum-compatible innovations quickly. Ethereum L1 typically upgrades about once a year, requiring extensive testing due to its high Total Value Locked (TVL) and associated risks. In contrast, QuarkChain L2 can rapidly iterate and validate new technologies with greater agility and lower risk exposure. Once innovations are proven secure and effective on QuarkChain L2, they can be efficiently adopted by other Ethereum L2s, and Ethereum L1 can subsequently integrate these advancements with greater confidence.

In summary, transitioning to an Ethereum L2 offers QuarkChain stronger security guarantees, trustless interoperability with Ethereum’s ecosystem, further Ethereum alignment, and accelerated innovation experiments. These benefits position QuarkChain to better achieve its long-term vision and to serve its community with a more secure, connected network.

Migration Plan

If this proposal is approved, the core team will coordinate a migration from QuarkChain’s mainnet to a new L2 on Ethereum. Key aspects of the plan include:

• New ERC-20 QKC Token Contract and Bridge Plan: To seamlessly integrate QuarkChain with Ethereum’s rollup infrastructure, a new ERC-20 QKC token contract will be deployed on the Ethereum mainnet. And the total supply will remain unchanged at 10 billion tokens. This new token will replace the existing ERC-20 QKC token and become the official token used for bridging between Ethereum and the QuarkChain L2. Holders of the legacy ERC-20/mainnet QKC will be able to convert their tokens to the new ones through an official contract at a 1:1 ratio, preserving their balances without any loss. A detailed migration guide will be provided later after the community approves the proposal via voting.
• The QuarkChain L2 will accept only the new QKC token via its canonical Ethereum bridge. This means that after the migration, deposits into QuarkChain L2 must use the new ERC-20 QKC — old QKC tokens will not be recognized by the L2’s bridge contract. By introducing a new token contract, QuarkChain ensures a unified and secure token standard for the ecosystem. This approach eliminates potential complexities with the old token contract and aligns QuarkChain’s token with the Ethereum L2 framework, enhancing the security of cross-chain transactions.
• Technical Enhancements on OP Stack: QuarkChain L2 will utilize the Optimism OP Stack, integrating several innovative features from its Super World Computer initiative:

— Soul Gas Token: A non-transferable token that covers transaction fees for new users, lowering the entry barrier to Web3 and fostering adoption.

— Parallel EVM Execution: Parallel transaction execution in the EVM to increase throughput and efficiency, addressing scalability challenges.

— EthStorage: Integration of EthStorage for cost-effective, scalable long-term on-chain data storage, dramatically reducing costs for data-intensive dApps.

— Web3 Access Protocol (web3://): Transforms the EVM into a decentralized web server, allowing fully on-chain websites and applications and enabling a truly decentralized web.

— Advanced Fault-Proof Algorithms: Improved fault-proof mechanisms on the OP Stack enhance dispute resolution, reducing complexity and gas costs and accelerating settlement times.

Governance Process and Voting

Since this migration changes QuarkChain’s core architecture, community approval via a governance vote is required. QKC token holders on Ethereum, BNB Chain, and the QuarkChain mainnet are eligible to vote through Snapshot (a gasless off-chain voting platform). Key details of the voting process include:

• Proposal Platform: The proposal will be posted in the QuarkChain Snapshot space. Snapshot allows token-weighted voting without gas fees. A link to the proposal will be shared through official channels, and voting will remain open for a defined period to ensure broad participation.
• Eligibility: All QKC holders are eligible to vote, regardless of the network they use (ERC-20, BEP-20, or native QKC). A snapshot will be taken simultaneously across all three networks, after which special QKC voting tokens will be minted on opBNB to represent the holdings from each network. This approach enables QKC holders to participate in the Snapshot vote more conveniently.

Voting Procedure:

• Snapshot: The snapshot will be taken on May 13, 2025 (UTC). If your QKC tokens are held on a centralized exchange (CEX), you must withdraw them to an ETH-compatible self-custodial wallet (e.g. MetaMask) before the snapshot to be eligible to vote. We’ll soon publish a step-by-step guide on safely withdrawing tokens from CEXs to self-custodial wallets.
• Voting Token Generation: Between May 13 and May 15, 2025 (UTC), the team will generate an opBNB voting token. This token will reflect the combined QKC balances across all three networks based on the snapshot.
• Voting Period: Voting will be open from May 15 to May 22, 2025 (UTC). During this time, eligible users must connect their wallets containing the opBNB voting tokens to Snapshot in order to vote.

⚠️ Important Notes:

• If you hold QKC across multiple networks (ERC20, BEP20, and all shards from mainnet) but within the same wallet, your voting power will be automatically aggregated on opBNB, and you only need to vote once.
• If your QKC holdings are spread across different wallets, you will need to connect and vote with each wallet separately.

Call to Action

QuarkChain community, the time to decide is now. Migrating to an Ethereum L2 is a pivotal moment in QuarkChain’s evolution. By voting on this proposal, you choose our network’s path: embrace Ethereum’s security and ecosystem via the OP Stack or remain on the current course. The plan and its benefits have been presented, but ultimately, QKC holders will make the final decision.

We urge all community members to cast their vote on Snapshot during the voting period. Even if you hold QKC on multiple chains or have tokens staked, you can vote without moving them, thanks to the voting tokens. Please take a moment to connect to Snapshot and vote. Every QKC counts, and a high participation rate will signal strong consensus on the way forward.

Beyond voting, we welcome discussion and questions about this proposal in our community channels.

In conclusion, the proposed L2 migration is an opportunity to future-proof QuarkChain by aligning with Ethereum’s trajectory and unlocking new possibilities for growth. It promises Ethereum-level security, enhanced interoperability, and accelerated innovation experiments. If you share this vision for QuarkChain’s next chapter, we encourage you to vote ‘FOR’ (YES) on Snapshot. Regardless of the outcome, QuarkChain’s strength is its community, and your active participation in governance will ensure the network prospers in a direction guided by its users.

Let’s shape the future of QuarkChain together — vote on Snapshot and make your voice heard!

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