A Quick Look at Polygon 2.0

Polygon Labs announced Polygon’s transition to Polygon 2.0 on June 30, 2023, which would make Polygon the “Value Layer of the Internet.” While this is a bold claim, the drastic shift in Polygon’s role as a typical Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain to a zero-knowledge-focused experiment to its current form of being a multi-faceted tech stack is commendable. Polygon Labs’ experiment with zero-knowledge (ZK) rollups began as early as August 2021, when it acquired Hermez.

Since its Hermez acquisition, Polygon Labs has made significant strides in building ZK-focused infrastructure, from the acquisition of protocols like Mir and the beta launch of Polygon zkEVM in March. With this latest development, Polygon Labs introduces a new architecture as well as a rebranded token, POL, both of which will be discussed in this piece.