Somnia, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain optimized for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), has published a new litepaper outlining the major updates to the tech. The latest includes the Multistream consensus and a $10M ecosystem grant program to support mass-consumer applications.
Multistream Consensus for Large-Scale Innovation
At the heart of Somnia’s updates is the Multistream consensus, capable of 400,000 TPS with sub-second block finality. This means Somnia can support large-scale, real-time applications across industries like gaming, social media and virtual worlds.
The new litepaper details several architectural improvements that improve Somnia’s performance while maintaining decentralization. Key among these is advanced compression that allows data to transfer between nodes 20x faster than traditional blockchains. Somnia also introduces ICEdb, a custom database with 70-100 nanosecond read and write times.
Somnia’s single-thread sequential execution is different from traditional parallel processing, so performance is consistent even under high transaction density.
To support ecosystem development, Somnia has launched a $10M grant program. This will connect innovative devs with top Web3 investors, including Mirana Ventures and Spartan Capital.
The grant program is for developers working on large-scale, real-time apps and will provide the resources and funding to bring their projects to life.
Partnerships and Creative Tools Expand NFT Utility
Somnia has partnered with top industry players like Yuga Labs to expand NFT utility. Users can now use Kodas, Otherdeed Expanded, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFTs in games and interoperable virtual experiences on-chain.
Furthermore, NFT avatars can now be used in MSquared’s virtual environments, including the official Major League Baseball (MLB) virtual ballpark and Kosmopop, which hosts K-pop concerts with TWICE.
Alongside the blockchain, Somnia has built Dream Builder, a suite of tools that help creators bring their dreams to life. Dream Builder allows users to convert 3D files into metaversal objects and build worlds and interactive experiences. As such, this should make the creative process more accessible and encourage innovation and diversity of use cases in the Somnia ecosystem.
DeFi and On-Chain Apps
Developed by Virtual Society Foundation, Somnia’s high-performance blockchain brings DeFi benefits by allowing on-chain limit order books. This combines the efficiency of centralized exchanges with the security and transparency of decentralized platforms, making Somnia a good option for gaming and social platforms.
By moving more application logic on-chain, Somnia reduces off-chain dependencies and increases transparency, security and user engagement across all apps.
Overall, the updates in Somnia’s litepaper open up new use cases for blockchain and Web3. By providing a scalable and high-performance infrastructure, Somnia is the go-to choice for developers and creators who want to build the next generation of dapps.
Editor’s note: Written with the assistance of AI – Edited and fact-checked by Jason Newey.
