Uniswap Launches Unichain Layer 2 with 250ms Blocks and MEV Reduction

Oct 10, 2024, 02:01 PM

Uniswap, the leading decentralized exchange, has announced the launch of Unichain, a new Ethereum Layer 2 network designed specifically for decentralized finance (DeFi). Built as an optimistic rollup on Optimism's Superchain, Unichain aims to provide a faster, more cost-effective platform for DeFi applications by offering 250ms block times, cross-chain interoperability, and a decentralized validator network. The network intends to serve as a home for liquidity across multiple chains, enhancing the efficiency and scalability of DeFi transactions while reducing miner extractable value (MEV). Flashbots, a blockchain research and development organization, is collaborating with Uniswap on Unichain to bring features such as fast, secure, and programmable blocks to Ethereum rollups, including MEV internalization with verifiable priority ordering. Other industry players, including Privy, QuickNode, AlchemyPlatform, and The Graph Protocol, have announced day-one support for Unichain, highlighting its potential impact on the DeFi ecosystem. Hayden Adams, founder of Uniswap, expressed enthusiasm about the launch, stating that Unichain represents a culmination of six years of design and development in the DeFi space.