ZKsync redefines scaling with Atlas upgrade
-6MGFSjAq.png "ZKsync redefines scaling with Atlas upgrade")
ZKsync launched its Atlas upgrade, pushing a new sequencer that clears 15,000+ transactions per second, adds ~one-second zero-knowledge finality, and cuts fees to near-zero, while wiring ZKsync-based chains to tap Ethereum’s liquidity without standing up separate pools.
The release is pitched as re-architecting how capital sits across L1/L2, with chains in the ZK Stack settling like one market rather than fragmented silos.
Atlas is more than speed. ZKsync’s post describes shared L1 contracts and “Elastic Chain” plumbing so hyperchains in the ZK Stack can interoperate natively and settle back to Ethereum with consistent guarantees. The new Airbender proof system produces sub-second block proofs and minutes-to-Ethereum finality, which is the lever that lets chains move funds across L2s without bootstrapping duplicate liquidity. In practical terms: fewer bridge hops, fewer wrapped assets, tighter spreads.
How it stacks up: Optimism’s Superchain is pursuing standard “native interop” across OP Stack chains, targeting measurable cross-chain asset flow at Stage-1 security in 2025; it’s a multi-chain fabric, but finality and slashing still follow optimistic rollup assumptions and challenge sub-second confirmations. Arbitrum’s Nitro stack can hit high theoretical throughput, yet effective TPS is constrained by Ethereum’s data bandwidth; interop today leans on fast-deposit flags and canonical bridges rather than L1-shared liquidity semantics. Starknet’s roadmap has improved parallelization, but posted metrics point to longer L2 confirmation windows than Atlas’ sub-second claims. Scroll’s 2025 plan aims at faster proving and 10k TPS targets, with current finality in hours on some trackers — again, workable, but not “real-time L1–L2 liquidity” out of the box.
Atlas is more than speed. ZKsync’s post describes shared L1 contracts and “Elastic Chain” plumbing so hyperchains in the ZK Stack can interoperate natively and settle back to Ethereum with consistent guarantees. The new Airbender proof system produces sub-second block proofs and minutes-to-Ethereum finality, which is the lever that lets chains move funds across L2s without bootstrapping duplicate liquidity. In practical terms: fewer bridge hops, fewer wrapped assets, tighter spreads.
How it stacks up: Optimism’s Superchain is pursuing standard “native interop” across OP Stack chains, targeting measurable cross-chain asset flow at Stage-1 security in 2025; it’s a multi-chain fabric, but finality and slashing still follow optimistic rollup assumptions and challenge sub-second confirmations. Arbitrum’s Nitro stack can hit high theoretical throughput, yet effective TPS is constrained by Ethereum’s data bandwidth; interop today leans on fast-deposit flags and canonical bridges rather than L1-shared liquidity semantics. Starknet’s roadmap has improved parallelization, but posted metrics point to longer L2 confirmation windows than Atlas’ sub-second claims. Scroll’s 2025 plan aims at faster proving and 10k TPS targets, with current finality in hours on some trackers — again, workable, but not “real-time L1–L2 liquidity” out of the box.
The institutional angle is where Atlas is explicitly aimed. ZKsync’s docs and blog stress shared bridges and L1 ecosystem contracts that let multiple sovereign chains coordinate settlement and compliance surfaces while inheriting Ethereum security. That matters for desks managing RWAs, payments, or perps across multiple rollups: fewer “dead ends,” cleaner net-settlement, and less capital marooned in side pools.
Bottom line for execution desks: Atlas reduces the penalty for multi-venue routing within the ZK Stack and tightens settlement loops back to Ethereum. If Airbender proving and shared-contract interop stay stable at scale, you price tighter on L2 stablecoin routes and recycle inventory faster across chains.
Our team earlier reported ZKsync’s Atlas announcement and its enterprise pitch — including headline throughput targets and the Elastic Chain/L1-shared liquidity design. For those who are interested in retrospective — you are welcome.
Bottom line for execution desks: Atlas reduces the penalty for multi-venue routing within the ZK Stack and tightens settlement loops back to Ethereum. If Airbender proving and shared-contract interop stay stable at scale, you price tighter on L2 stablecoin routes and recycle inventory faster across chains.
Our team earlier reported ZKsync’s Atlas announcement and its enterprise pitch — including headline throughput targets and the Elastic Chain/L1-shared liquidity design. For those who are interested in retrospective — you are welcome.
Author
Sebile Fane cut her teeth in blockchain by building tiny NFT experiments with friends in her living room, long before the buzzwords took hold. She’s driven by a curiosity for the human stories behind smart contracts — whether it’s a small-town artist minting her first token or a DAO voting on climate grants — and weaves technical insight with genuine empathy.
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