L2 is powerless to turn things around? Looking at future development from Metis' AI strategy

Many people believe that the Ethereum Layer2 ecosystem is powerless to make things happen, but it is not the case.

If we look at it from the perspective of the TPS arms race, we do feel that Lian Po is old and declining. But after the Pectra technology is upgraded, if some layer2s can be repositioned in the right direction, might they still have the power to fight?

Recently, Metis released the strategic roadmap of All in AI. Can this alternative choice break the current dilemma of layer2?

Come on, let me tell you my observation:

1. To be honest, the fundamental problem facing the Layer2 ecosystem at present is not the lack of technical capabilities, but the solidification of narrative boundaries. Most projects are still using the linear thinking of "faster speed and cheaper Gas". This homogeneous competition situation has led to too many general layer2s, and the technical differences are getting smaller and smaller, while the real pain point of users - the lack of killer applications - has never been solved.

However, after in-depth research on Metis' technical route, I found that its real innovation is not a breakthrough in a single technology, but a systematic architectural reconstruction. Dual network strategy (Andromeda + Hyperion) is essentially a clever solution to the classic trade-off of "university vs professionalism".

Obviously, on the one hand, Metis must maintain the stability and reliability of Android, the existing Layer2, and provide mature DeFi and Web3 application infrastructure; on the other hand, it must develop a high-performance execution layer dedicated to serving AI scenarios, and move from a general technology stack to a professional AI infrastructure. This not only avoids homogeneous competition with other Layer2s, but also finds a technology implementation path for the integration of AI+Web3 (giving the Ethereum ecosystem a feasible idea to break the deadlock?).

2. Many people are familiar with the Andromeda chain, Metis' decentralized Sequencer and Hybrid Rollup technology innovations. What's special about this new Hyperion AI chain?

1. MetisVM, a virtual machine deeply customized for AI applications, has improved execution efficiency by 30% compared to traditional EVM through dynamic opcode optimization, which is a qualitative leap for AI inference scenarios. More importantly, the MPEF parallel execution framework solves the contradiction between blockchain serial processing and AI concurrency requirements;

2. MetisDB uses memory-mapped Merkle tree and MVCC concurrent control to achieve nanosecond state access. This design completely eliminates storage bottlenecks and provides hardware performance guarantees for high-frequency AI computing. Based on the above background, it is not difficult to understand when looking at MetisSDK. Simply put: MetisSDK builds a development toolkit dedicated to serving AI applications based on modular components and standardized interfaces, abstracting complex chain-level technologies into composable building blocks, effectively reducing the development threshold for AI applications.

3. Based on my personal observation of the web3AI industry, the biggest problem at present is not the lack of technical capabilities, but the distortion of the value allocation mechanism. Large platforms monopolize most of the value, and data providers have almost no benefits. In other words, today's AI is just a black box, where does the training data come from? How does the algorithm work? Is the result trustworthy? These questions are hard to explain. LazAI is trying to change this situation through three core innovations:

1. The iDAO model redefines the AI ​​governance structure. Unlike traditional DAO, iDAO allows everyone or AI agents to be a governance participant rather than a passive data provider. To a certain extent, this is a "substitution" of the current centralized AI governance model.

2. DAT (data anchoring token) has a particularly clever design idea. It is not like traditional NFTs that only record static ownership, but track the entire life cycle of AI assets. This innovative point can directly solve the fundamental problem that data value is difficult to quantify in the AI ​​economy.

3. Verified calculations provide transparency for AI behavior. This is like installing a "black box" to AI, and all reasoning processes can be verified, traceable, and accountable. This "verifiable AI" idea provides a trust basis for decentralized AI applications. The design of this combination punch is like building a new "value distribution engine" for the integration of AI+Web3. If DeFi uses TVL, APR and other indicators to establish a financial value system, LazAI is building a similar quantitative framework for AI.

above.

Finally, to summarize, the current Metis technology framework looks like a sandwich structure in my opinion. The bottom is that Metis itself provides a unified governance mechanism and token incentives. The middle is that Hyperion specializes in handling high-performance AI computing, and the top is that LazAI defines the value flow rules. This layered design is not a simple technical stack, and its layers are both independent and coordinated, avoiding the "universal" trap of traditional single-chain architectures.

As for what everyone is most concerned about, the economics of $METIS tokens will naturally be upgraded simultaneously. As a native token for dual networks, METIS's revenue sources are more diverse than traditional Layer2: in addition to transaction fees, there are new revenue sources such as calculation fees and data verification fees. The introduction of Holders Mining's revenue sharing model has transformed token holders from passive speculators to ecological value sharers.

In general, Metis' exploration has opened up a new path for the development of Layer2. At a time when technology is serious, scenario differentiation may be the key to breaking through. As for whether the success is successful, it depends on the specific implementation, but at least the direction is chosen well. (Looking back, the previous narrative positioning of decentralized Sequencer has at least been successful).