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Japanese electronics behemoth Sony is launching its layer-2 blockchain on Ethereum after years of exploration and experimentation in the blockchain space.
In an announcement on August 23, Sony revealed that the blockchain, called Soneium, was developed in collaboration with Singapore-based Web3 firm Startale Labs. The network is not live yet, and an actual launch date is yet to be revealed, but a testnet launch expected to go live in the next few days will precede the mainnet deployment.
A part of the Optimism’s superchain
Soneium will be developed using OP Stack, an open-source framework that allows the creation of scalable and customisable Layer-2 blockchains on top of Ethereum. As a result, the new blockchain will leverage the Optimistic roll-up technology, which involves batching multiple transactions together and processing them off-chain.
Using OP stack will also let Soneium be connected with other layer-2 blockchains built using the tool kit, like Coibase’s Base and Worldcoin’s World Chain, as part of what Optimism blockchain calls the superchain.
Startale Labs was founded by Sota Watanabe, the Director of Sony Block Solution Labs, the tech giant’s blockchain arm. It was established to focus on building and expanding the ecosystem of the multi-chain smart contract platform Astar Network, also co-founded by Watanabe, by providing tools, infrastructure, and support for developers.
The Soneium testnet will be leveraging Astar network’s zkEVM to integrate its assets and the underlying infrastructure to boost the new chain’s initial liquidity. Astar zkEVM was developed using layer-2 blockchain Polygon’s chain development kit, which is a direct competitor to the OP Stack.
Speaking about the development, Watanabe said:
Sony Group has strong distribution channels in multiple industries and existing users in our daily lives. Through Soneium, we will make something people want and go mainstream beyond Web3.
Further, Startale Labs, which also played a key role in supporting the Astar zkEVM, will be devoting its resources to the development of Soneium, and move away from Astar.
According to Watanabe, the first phase for Soneium would be focused towards onboarding “Web3 People” before making the blockchain available to “general users.” The second phase, which is expected to be initiated within the next two years, will focus on onboarding Sony’s existing suite of products, such as Sony Bank, Sony Music, Sony Pictures, and others.
By the final phase of the launch, Sony expects to onboard “all enterprises and all general dapps on the top of it,” Watanabe added.
Sony detailed some of Soneium’s use cases, including protecting users’ rights and offering a way to enable fair profit-sharing between creators and fans.
Sony’s other blockchain initiatives
Sony has been exploring various use cases for blockchain technology and has also recently forayed into the cryptocurrency space with the acquisition of a Japanese crypto exchange WhaleFin.
Sony’s blockchain initiatives include a Web3 incubation program launched in collaboration with Astar Network and Startale Labs last year. The electronics company has also developed a Mobility-as-a-service platform to revolutionise transportation by integrating various modes of transport into a single, user-friendly platform.
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