Unified Rollups: The Innovative Path of Omni Network

Recently, a well-known DEX announced the launch of an L2 chain specifically designed for DeFi. Whether to gain control over more components of the blockchain ecosystem, launch new products, or acquire more value, an increasing number of applications are accelerating the construction of their own L2 solutions. L2 is gradually becoming the dominant force in trading volume and total value locked (TVL), but it also faces an increasingly serious fragmentation issue. L2 chains need to choose between a closed ecosystem and modular infrastructure, with the latter requiring sufficient liquidity support to enable cross-chain asset exchanges.

Nevertheless, various chains still tend to choose these relatively independent or modular infrastructure providers, as this allows them to maintain control over their rollups. For users, this results in a poor experience, as they still need to frequently transfer assets between different L2s to use various protocols. The core idea of Chain Abstraction is that users should be decoupled from the underlying chain infrastructure, meaning that regardless of which chain they are on or what tokens they hold, they should have access to any application. Although this concept is still in the early stages of development, one of the most notable projects in this field currently is Omni Network.

Chain Abstraction and the Rise of Omni Network

Omni Network addresses this issue through two key strategies:

1. Minimize the cost of integrating L2 with Omni.
2. Ensure that L2 does not lose control over any part of its tech stack.

Omni achieves this goal by introducing a front-end SDK that allows any application to easily integrate it into their website. It has no special requirements for rollups and does not require development teams to upgrade their smart contracts. From the user's perspective, it is fully compatible with existing wallet providers, meaning users do not need to download new software, upgrade their wallets, or change their existing usage habits.

Omni's ways to optimize user experience include:

• Automatic network switching, no manual operation required.
• Reduce the waiting time for message transmission across rollups.
• Automatically handle gas fees on the target rollup.
• Achieve seamless fund migration, allowing users to utilize cross-chain bridges without leaving the application.

These features address the core issues that hinder Ethereum from providing a unified platform experience for end users. If widely adopted, Omni will bring a smooth user experience to Ethereum similar to that of certain single-chain platforms, while retaining the high throughput and low cost advantages offered by rollups.

Innovation in Omni's Technical Architecture

Omni is a chain designed specifically to facilitate interoperability among Ethereum rollup ecosystems. Unlike other interoperability networks that focus on cross-chain messaging, Omni takes a unique product approach. Above the core interoperability network of Omni, there is a coordination protocol that allows Solvers (such as market makers and other market participants) to provide users with prepayments, provided that the funds held by users on one rollup differ from the rollup where the application is located.

From the user's perspective, the movement of tokens is instantaneous. Competitors adopt a "push" model, where messages are sent from rollup A and pushed to rollup B (taking about 10 seconds at best), while Omni's protocol uses a "pull" model, where solvers immediately provide liquidity for users on B. This streamlines the user process, allowing them to achieve the desired results instantly, while complex market participants (solvers) handle any inherent latency issues of the interoperability network.

When users submit a transaction, they are actually depositing funds into an escrow contract, which will only release the funds upon receiving a cross-rollup message proving that a resolver has fulfilled the user's intent. However, from the user's perspective, it seems like they are using the same asset across multiple L2s. With this architecture, users no longer have to consider the complexities that previously accompanied cross-rollup activities.

Decoupling and Reorganization of Ethereum

The crypto infrastructure stack has undergone a "decoupling" process aimed at enhancing scalability, modularity, and ownership. While this benefits Layer 2 networks (L2s), it has made the user experience more fragmented and complicated for ordinary users. Omni's goal is to "reorganize" these modular components, recognizing that modular Layer 2 networks are the places where the vast majority of activities occur, and to create a protocol that allows users to move instantly between chains while enabling Layer 2 networks to maintain their sovereignty.

Chain abstraction is a relatively emerging design paradigm, and Omni is in the early stages of exploring the potential of this new technology. Omni could become a key infrastructure that combines the composability of the Ethereum ecosystem with the smooth user experience of certain single-chain platforms.