Blockchain engineering firm Nethermind develops Ethereum Layer 2 called 'Surge Rollup'

Ethereum client Nethermind unveiled Surge Rollup — a rollup implementation focused on performance — as it enters the crowded field of Layer 2 chains.

Surge Rollup has been developed using Taiko’s software stack, Nethermind noted, and aims to serve developers focused on scaling Ethereum-based decentralized applications.

The rollup will boast what Nethermind calls “Gigagas” capabilities, indicating a high-throughput capacity that capitalizes on the performance of the Nethermind Client tailored for the Ethereum mainnet.

From its coming launch, Surge Rollup will operate at Stage 2 — meaning that, unlike most rollup chains, it will feature permissionless fault proofs, allowing for censorship resistance and improved security.

Unlike traditional rollup designs that rely on centralized sequencers, Surge Rollup will utilize Ethereum validators for sequencing duties — a class of Layer 2s known as validator-based rollups.

Nethermind stated it would use ETH for transaction fees and avoid the introduction of a native token, which the project refers to as an “Ultra Sound” strategy.

The team added that it has also developed Surge Power-Ups, a suite of open-source plugins to improve the performance and functionality of the base rollup codebase.

Included are “pre-confirmations” to expedite transaction speed, the use of multi-provers for efficient block processing, enhanced performance through the Nethermind client software, and the implementation of Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) developed in partnership with Flashbots Rollup Boost to accelerate sequencing speed.