The Layer2 Scaling Path of Solana: In-Depth Interview with Sonic Co-Founder Chris Zhu

Opportunity to Enter the Web3 Field

After leaving ByteDance in the second half of 2021, Chris began to venture into the Web3 space. During his time at ByteDance, he was involved in research on the consumer entertainment and SaaS markets, and then joined a team focused on the intersection of AI and Web3. This team conducted in-depth research on the integration of AI with NFTs and AI with cryptocurrencies, and these innovative decentralized business models deeply fascinated Chris, ultimately leading him to decide to fully immerse himself in the Web3 world.

The Birth Journey of Sonic

The creation process of Sonic has undergone a transformation from Mirror World to a focus on gaming chains. During this process, Chris identified three core issues:

1. Diversity of game assets and user diversity: Initially focused on issuing assets through NFT collections, but found that market demand fluctuates significantly with cycles.

2. Solana on-chain computing resources and congestion issues: A single project occupying a large amount of resources leads to mainnet congestion. Although Solana has high TPS and low costs, it still faces scalability challenges.

3. Insufficient game publishing capabilities: Solana itself lacks the ability to publish games and requires professional resources and institutional support.

Based on these issues, the Chris team collaborated with the Solana Foundation to propose a plan to develop a game-specific chain called Sonic on the Solana platform, making full use of Mirror World's R&D capabilities and successfully shifting to the game SVM track.

The Impact of Diverse Experiences on Entrepreneurship

Chris's career spans multiple fields, from ByteDance to RCT AI, and then to Mirror World and Sonic. The business management and efficiency improvement methods he learned during his time at ByteDance laid the foundation for his future entrepreneurial ventures. His experience at RCT AI helped him accumulate valuable experience in managing international teams and talent recruitment.

After entering the crypto space, Chris recognized the high cyclicality and volatility of the industry. He adopted a more flexible management strategy, keeping the core team lean and rapidly expanding during peak market demand to adapt to the fast changes in the industry. This flexible approach helped Sonic maintain competitiveness in a turbulent market environment.

The Evolution of Mirror World

Mirror World initially issued NFT assets to serve game projects. With market changes, the team realized that simple asset issuance could not meet long-term needs. In early 2022, they began collaborating with the Solana Foundation to develop infrastructure such as in-game wallets, marketplaces, deposit and Swap tools.

After the FTX incident in 2023, the number of ecological projects has sharply decreased. The Chris team realized the need for new solutions and ultimately decided to develop the SVM extension chain Sonic, specifically for gaming services. This new direction not only leverages the R&D experience of Mirror World but also addresses the scalability issues of Solana, providing a better on-chain operating environment for gaming projects.

Comparison of Solana and Ethereum Scaling

The scaling goals and characteristics of Solana and Ethereum show significant differences. Ethereum's scaling primarily addresses issues of mainnet speed and cost, while Solana's scaling is more focused on meeting the specific needs of different sectors.

Solana ensures independent economic effects and computational resources across various domains by providing dedicated chains. This approach not only alleviates the load on the mainnet but also offers more specialized and efficient services for each domain. For example, a dedicated chain for gaming can better support on-chain operations of game logic and assets, thereby improving overall efficiency.

Sonic's Hypergrid Expansion Plan

Hypergrid is an expansion framework by Sonic on Solana, designed to create an SVM environment specifically for gaming services. It provides proprietary chains for different fields through horizontal scaling, addressing the scalability issues of specific domains. In the future, proprietary chains for other fields such as DeFi and AI may emerge, allowing each field to receive customized scaling services.

The core of Hypergrid lies in its flexibility and adaptability. Through horizontal scaling, various domains can develop independently while maintaining a connection to the Solana mainnet. This not only enhances the professionalism and efficiency of each domain but also improves the overall performance and scalability of the Solana ecosystem.

Challenges Faced by Solana Layer 2 Scaling

Solana's Layer2 expansion faces multiple challenges:

1. Evaluate which areas truly need independent SVM scaling chains.
2. Technical challenges in the splitting and maintenance process of the Solana codebase.
3. New problems arising from the rapid development of the ecosystem need to be continuously addressed.

Chris pointed out that Solana is more like a fast-moving startup, constantly adjusting and optimizing during its development. The team needs to maintain flexibility while developing Sonic to respond to new challenges and changes at any time.

Future Prospects of Web3 Games

Chris is optimistic about the prospects of Web3 games. He believes that the current quality of game content and the payment toolset has significantly improved compared to the previous cycle. Although the current performance of cryptocurrency prices is not ideal, the quality of games and the willingness of users to pay have reached a high level. For example, games like Big Time have seen a continuous increase in monthly active users and revenue scale, demonstrating the potential of Web3 games.

Future game design will place more logic on-chain. With the reduction of technology costs and the increase in speed, fully on-chain games will become possible. Sonic is also working towards this direction in technological development, although currently focusing mainly on asset on-chain, future efforts will pay more attention to the development of fully on-chain games. Chris believes that with technological advancements and market maturation, Web3 games will achieve breakthroughs in gameplay and asset innovation, possibly leading to the emergence of the first blockbuster fully on-chain game.