Across Blog

Tldr; Across has launched on Zora, the Superchain ecosystem’s Layer 2 focused on bringing the world’s imagination onchain with NFTs. Early bridgers can head to the network to mint their Bridgooor NFT now. Key takeaways:  The Superchain’s culture hub Zora is the latest Layer 2 to welcome Across, giving users an easy way to bridge on and off the network at a high speed and low cost. This integration forms part of Optimism’s vision for an interoperable future powered by intents. Optimism recently adopted ERC-7683 to advance interop within the Superchain. Zora makes minting NFTs accessible to everyone and Across users can now mint their own Bridgooor NFT after bridging to the network. Ethereum’s Layer 2 era is here and many new chains are emerging. These Layer 2s are collectively focused on scaling the Ethereum ecosystem but they often have their own specialities. Across is committed to advancing cross-chain interoperability and that means supporting a wide variety of chains with different focuses. Of all the chains that form the Layer 2 ecosystem today, Zora has one of the most unique offerings. Part of Optimism’s Superchain ecosystem, Zora’s goal is to bring creativity to the decentralized web. The network’s main approach for achieving this vision is focusing on NFTs — minting on Zora is extremely affordable and the chain focuses on inspiring people to share their ideas onchain. Across has launched on some of Layer 2’s most promising ecosystems this year and we’re proud to announce our expansion to Zora. The Superchain recently got an interop level-up with ERC-7683 and this deployment will further boost the ecosystem. With Optimism adopting ERC-7683 for the Superchain and new chains like Zora welcoming Across, it’s clear that intents are unifying Ethereum. It’s also clear that Across’ commitment to supporting a wide array of Layer 2s is advancing cross-chain interop. We explain more below. Bringing creativity onchain  Zora started out as an NFT marketplace and today it has its own Layer 2 Optimistic Rollup built using the OP Stack framework. It’s one of several chains that forms part of Optimism’s Superchain ecosystem, alongside the likes of OP Mainnet, Base, and Mode. But Zora differs from many other Layer 2s. The network’s north star is to “bring the world’s imagination onchain,” something it’s building towards by doubling down on NFTs. Zora makes NFTs accessible with mints typically costing 50 cents or less. By opening access to the technology, Zora hopes to empower people to share their ideas, mint content onchain, and help Ethereum flourish. While the Zora Network only launched on mainnet in June 2023, the project appears to be on the right track so far. Over 4 million NFTs have been minted on Zora to date, with drops from Grimes, Base, and Doge icon Kabosu among the chain’s biggest. In recent months, the Web3 community has increasingly focused on advancing “consumer crypto” to attract the next generation of onchain adopters. As an accessible platform that aspires to let anyone push their ideas onchain, Zora sits at the forefront of this mission. ERC-7683 and the Superchain vision  With this integration, Across has become Zora’s first intents-based interop solution. That means users can transfer $ETH, $WETH, and $USDC at a high speed and low cost and then use their assets on the network as they wish. While this integration does not support NFT transfers, it’s now easier than ever for users to move their funds onto Zora and start minting. Optimism recently signaled its conviction in Across and its intents-based approach when it implemented the ERC-7683 standard to improve interop within the Superchain. The deployment on Zora reinforces the Superchain vision of an interoperable ecosystem powered by intents. ERC-7683 aims to unify Ethereum with intents. The growing adoption of Across and ERC-7683 proves that intents will be cornerstones of cross-chain interoperability in the Ethereum ecosystem. Across plans to offer seamless intents-based bridging between all kinds of ecosystems, from DeFi to culture and much more. We believe that supporting chains like Zora is crucial to Ethereum’s success. To celebrate the launch, Across and Zora have teamed up to offer a one-off Bridgooor NFT to early bridgers. Use Across to bridge to Zora in the next week and you’ll be able to mint the NFT on the network. Onchain culture and Ethereum’s future  Zora is building for a world where anyone can mint their ideas onchain and connect with a global community of collectors. It’s one of the main projects nurturing onchain culture and for that reason it could be an important part of Ethereum’s future. Across’ deployment on Zora offers users access to interop’s fastest and cheapest bridge powered by intents. The Superchain is set to enjoy seamless interoperability with ERC-7683 and this update is another win for the ecosystem. Across has long believed that intents are the key to solving cross-chain interoperability. This expansion on another top Layer 2 adds further credence to this thesis. To learn more about Zora, visit the project’s website. To start exploring the ecosystem, bridge with Across now. Words by dreamsofdefi

Tldr; The chain abstraction protocol Klaster has integrated Across Bridge to help users navigate between EVM chains. This move gives Klaster users an effortless onchain experience. It also offers a hint at how the interoperable future could look. Key takeaways: Klaster has integrated Across to build on its mission to improve onchain UX. The protocol abstracts chains through one intuitive interface to offer users a way to seamlessly go cross-chain. With Across Bridge, Klaster users can enjoy easy transfers through interop’s fastest and cheapest bridge. Chain abstraction is one of the hottest topics in the cross-chain ecosystem today. As we approach the second half of 2024, Ethereum is making progress on scaling and many chains have emerged. But this has come at the cost of fragmentation and UX issues. Chain abstraction aims to solve the fragmentation problem by offering users unified access to multiple chains through one interface. As Ethereum scales, many leading teams are focusing on abstracting chains to fix Web3’s UX problem. Across is one of those teams, as evidenced by the launch of our Across+ feature. Across+ uses hooks to let users seamlessly execute actions between chains with one signature. Klaster is another project committed to improving cross-chain UX through chain abstraction. The interchain protocol recently took a major step towards this goal by integrating Across. With this update, Klaster users can effortlessly move their assets between chains with interop’s fastest and cheapest bridge. We explain why this partnership is a win for the cross-chain ecosystem in more detail below. About Klaster Klaster is a chain abstraction protocol built by a team of early Ethereum adopters. The project’s goal is to enable “chain abstraction for everyone” by unifying Ethereum and EVM chains. Under the hood, Klaster allows interchain commitments and execution through one network. This means users can get their cross-chain needs done in a click through one interface. There are several different forms of “abstraction” in the context of cross-chain interoperability. Klaster offers all of the following features: Network abstraction — this feature lets users connect to multiple chains (in Klaster’s case, Ethereum, Layer 2s, and other EVM chains) and directly interact with applications on each of them. Gas abstraction — this feature lets users pay for transaction fees on one chain using the assets they already have. So if they want to move onto Arbitrum but they do not have $ETH, they can use $USDC in their wallet instead. Account abstraction — this feature allows for the creation of smart accounts, which enables unlocks like bundled transactions and one-signature multi-chain transfers. ERC-4337 enabled account abstraction on Ethereum. The key to Klaster’s design is its Transaction Commitment Layer. At this layer, users make a “commitment” to execute transactions across multiple different networks with one smart contract signature. The Transaction Commitment Layer unifies EVM chains to enable interchain transactions. Klaster combines these features to offer full chain abstraction, removing cross-chain friction and offer users a smooth UX. How Klaster will leverage Across’ intents-based design Klaster has integrated Across into its tech stack to drive its plans to improve Web3 UX forward. Klaster has initially added Across Bridge to support its users’ cross-chain needs. This means they can access the ecosystem’s cheapest and fastest bridge to move between Ethereum and its top Layer 2 chains without leaving Klaster. With this integration, Klaster can remove chain fragmentation while leveraging the Across system’s intents-powered design. When Klaster users need to move their assets from one chain to another, they can express their intent and enjoy the high-speed and low-cost bridging experience Across users are accustomed to. Across uses an intents-based architecture so that it can provide users with better cross-chain experiences and that’s the same end goal Klaster is focused on. Klaster has currently integrated Across Bridge to offer fast, cheap transfers. In the future, the protocol could expand the integration to include Across’ other features. Across+ abstracts away chains to let users perform actions across chains, while Across Settlement lets any application plug into the system to settle their users’ intents. Klaster could leverage these features to offer users more possibilities. The chain-abstracted future For several years, projects like Across and Klaster have been working to improve cross-chain interoperability. Builders and enthusiasts alike have frequently opined about how “the multi-chain future” will look. In 2024, it’s clear that the multi-chain future is coming to fruition. But we still need to build the chain-abstracted future. Like Klaster, we believe that chain abstraction is crucial for Web3 mass adoption. Across and Klaster have both proven that with their recent products and this partnership is another sign of their pursuit of an easy-to-navigate cross-chain world. We envision a future where users do not need to know that they’re using Across for their cross-chain needs — the product they interact with will simply leverage Across because it offers the user the best experience. Thanks to this partnership, Klaster users will now benefit from using Across too. To learn more about Klaster and its plans for a chain-abstracted cross-chain ecosystem, visit the project’s website. To learn more about Across Bridge, Across+, and Across Settlement, read our V3 announcement on the Across blog and check out the app here. Words by @dreamsofdefi

Tldr; Across has launched on Scroll, one of the leading zkEVM chains working to scale Ethereum. Across’ intents-based architecture will let cross-chain users seamlessly move to and from Scroll, which in turn means improved flexibility and accessibility for the Scroll ecosystem. Key takeaways:  Across has deployed on Scroll, one of the leading zkEVM chains in the ecosystem.   The move expands Across’ presence on Layer 2. It also makes Scroll more interoperable with the wider ecosystem.  Across believes that intents will be a crucial unlock for interoperability in the Ethereum ecosystem and Scroll is the latest major project to support this vision.  Ethereum’s Layer 2 era is here and the ecosystem is becoming more and more interoperable. While shared developer stacks and blobs have prompted an explosion of new chains, Across has improved interoperability throughout the ecosystem with intents.  Across adopts an intents-based architecture to fulfill users’ cross-chain needs. This design choice has proven to be extremely effective and many chains have benefited from the power of intents as Across has expanded its Layer 2 presence.  Now, another of the Layer 2 ecosystem’s most promising projects is set to enjoy the benefits of intents-powered interop as Across heads to Scroll. Part of a rising crop of zkEVM chains, Scroll focuses on offering users a secure, high-speed, low-cost environment with full EVM compatibility.  While the Layer 2 boom kicked off in earnest in 2024, the ZK era is still in its early stages. This launch sets the stage for Scroll to become one of the field’s dominant projects, offering seamless interconnectivity with the Layer 2 ecosystem and an abundance of new possibilities powered by intents. We explain more below.  Introducing Scroll  In recent years, most leading Layer 2s have used Optimistic Rollups to scale Ethereum. The largest ecosystems use this technology and open-source stacks like the OP Stack have lowered the entry barrier to launching a chain with the same optimistic design pattern.  Scroll takes a different approach. Scroll is a zkEVM solution—it offers full EVM compatibility, using Zero-Knowledge Proofs to verify smart contract executions.  While zkEVMs like Scroll are in their infancy today, ZK is among crypto’s most anticipated technologies and its top chains are widely expected to supercharge Ethereum’s scaling ambitions.  Scroll launched on mainnet in October 2023 and has made a strong entry into the Layer 2 ecosystem. Scroll currently holds about $1.3 billion in locked value and the network has over 5 million unique addresses.  Across follow a host of major projects like the DeFi powerhouses Aave and Compound onto the network. However, it’s one of the first bridges to connect Scroll with the rest of Layer 2 and the chain’s first deployed intents-powered interop solution.  Scroll has shown early promise in the Layer 2 space and its ecosystem’s development is one of the clearest signs of that. With Across now deployed on the network, Scroll is more connected with many more users.   How Across will advance the Scroll ecosystem  Across now offers routes between Scroll and all other supported chains and users can transfer $ETH, $WETH, $WBTC, $USDC, and $USDT.  This launch is a win for Across because it gives the protocol access to a larger portion of the Layer 2 bridging volume share. Across consistently accounts for about 10% of all bridging volume, having grown its market share since early 2023. Scroll’s growth should help Across reinforce its market position as more users and developers will be able to access it to transfer their tokens at a low cost.  While Scroll users have been short on bridging options to date, they can now freely move their assets to and from the ecosystem with the fastest and cheapest bridge on the market.  But there are other reasons Across’ deployment is a boon for the Scroll ecosystem. Thanks to Across’ modular design, which defines the system’s stack as individual layers, Scroll applications can use Across to support their users’ needs. That could mean using Across+ to pull assets from other chains onto Scroll. This feature lets users request a transfer and action with one signature.  Scroll developers can also use Across to settle intent order flow. This means users can articulate their intent, the order will be executed, and the transaction will be batched and settled optimistically through Across’ settlement layer. Across Settlement has already attracted other developers looking to leverage the power of intents and we expect many more to follow.  Across took another step towards advancing Layer 2 interop this year with the launch of the ERC-7683 standard alongside Uniswap Labs. This standard establishes a universal filler network for intents-based systems and we believe it will play a significant role in helping Layer 2s like Scroll connect with other ecosystems.  Words by @dreamsofdefi

Tldr; Across has expanded to Lisk, one of the latest entrants to Optimism’s Superchain ecosystem. This move will benefit Lisk users and make the network more connected with the broader Layer 2 ecosystem. Key takeaways:  Lisk is the latest Layer 2 chain to welcome Across. Cross-chain explorers will be able to use Across to access the nascent Superchain as soon as it launches.  Across is becoming widely recognized as interop’s fastest and cheapest bridge thanks to its intents-based design and this launch offers Lisk users a way to benefit from it.  Across has expanded to many Layer 2 chains and the deployment on Lisk marks another step towards building an interoperable cross-chain ecosystem.  2024 has been the Layer 2 ecosystem’s biggest year yet. While talented teams have been laying the foundations for Ethereum’s scaling plans for many years, the ecosystem hit escape velocity this year. Many new chains have emerged and built out their own ecosystems. Scaling improvements have helped Layer 2 thrive and Across has offered its users seamless cross-chain experiences powered by intents.  Optimism has been one of the biggest contributors to Layer 2’s growth. Optimism’s OP Stack framework has helped many promising projects launch on Layer 2 and its Superchain collective now accounts for about ⅓ of Layer 2’s market share. Founded in 2016, the early Web3 project Lisk committed to the Superchain vision of a unified, scalable ecosystem when it announced its migration to Ethereum late last year.  Across is bringing true interoperability to the Layer 2 ecosystem and this includes the fast-growing Superchain network. With this in mind, we are pleased to announce that Across has launched on Lisk. This deployment follows similar launches on other Superchains like Linea and Mode. It’s a sign of Across’ support for Lisk and the Superchain vision of an accessible Web3 for billions.  This move gives cross-chain users a way to move to and from Lisk at an extremely high speed and low cost. It also means the network’s applications can leverage the Across system to offer their users better cross-chain experiences. We explain more below.  Introducing Lisk  Lisk is a Layer 2 Optimistic Rollup chain built using the OP Stack. But unlike most other Layer 2s, it started out as a Layer 1, launching an ICO in 2016. Lisk initially set out on a mission to host decentralized applications on its own base chain to onboard the next wave of crypto users. In December 2023, the team announced a migration to the Ethereum ecosystem in partnership with Optimism.  Powered by the OP Stack and built on Gelato’s Rollup-as-a-Service platform, Lisk is one of the latest additions to Optimism’s Superchain collective. This ecosystem is committed to making decentralized blockspace open to scale Ethereum in a unified manner.  Though Lisk has been building for several years, its mainnet launch is only due to happen later this year. Ahead of this milestone, the project launched a developer mainnet in May, allowing key infrastructure projects to deploy on the network before its full rollout. Across participated in the launch alongside a host of other partners.  Lisk has also launched other updates such as DAO voting and $LSK staking this year, but its full launch is the big one community members are waiting for. Across’ early deployment ensures cross-chain users will easily be able to move onto Lisk from day one with interop’s fastest and cheapest bridge.  Across and the Lisk ecosystem  Lisk’s goal is to grow the onchain economy by onboarding the world onto Layer 2. Similar to other Superchains, it has a few specific focus areas, including DeFi, Real-World Assets, and DePIN.  With Across’ support, Lisk can offer its users intents-powered interoperability. That means they can expect extremely fast and cheap transfers when they move on and off the network. The system also makes gas optimizations that ensure users save on costs.  Across’ expansion to Lisk makes the chain more accessible but it also gives its native DeFi applications greater flexibility. This year, Across launched V3, which significantly expanded the protocol’s surface area. V3 introduced hooks with Across+, allowing applications to offer cross-chain actions through a single interface. Another core V3 feature is Across Settlement, which lets projects leverage the system to settle users’ intents.  With V3, Across is no longer just a cheap and fast bridge. It’s a fully-fledged interoperability protocol that creates new possibilities for applications and users. This is good news for Lisk and applications that want to offer their users cross-chain activities with a Web2-like experience.  With Across, a Lisk DeFi app could execute a user’s request for a cross-chain transfer and swap, and all the user would have to do is signal their intent with one signature. Across has proven that this process is extremely fast and cost-effective.  Layer 2 and the interoperable future  Layer 2 is expanding at a rapid speed as new chains like Lisk emerge. While the abundance of new chains has created new UX hurdles, Across is proving that intents are the solution to Ethereum’s interoperability problem.  As the Superchain ecosystem grows, it’s becoming a core part of Ethereum’s story. Superchains are also becoming more active and interconnected, and with Lisk’s help, users should soon have access to verticals like RWAs and DePIN.  Lisk is on the path to becoming one of the Superchain ecosystem’s pillars and Across is proud to support it. Over the past two years, Across has proven that our thesis on intents powering the future of interop was correct. With this deployment, Lisk users will be able to enjoy the superb cross-chain experiences Across users are accustomed to from day one.  To learn more about Lisk, visit the project’s website. To find out how to use Across to power your application on Lisk, visit our website. To start exploring Lisk with Across, keep an eye on the Lisk blog for more information on the mainnet launch dropping later this year.  Words by @dreamsofdefi

Tldr; Nekodex, the mobile trading platform powered by Perpetual Protocol, is integrating Across to launch a cross-chain intents DEX. The new offering will also add account abstraction to offer users a decentralized trading experience with best-in-class UX and UI.  Key takeaways:  Perpetual Protocol’s Nekodex is integrating Across to launch a new cross-chain intents DEX.  Intents and chain abstraction are solving cross-chain interop’s biggest challenges. Nekodex is using them to offer a decentralized spot trading experience with superb UI and UX.   Nekodex is one of the first projects to use Across Settlement to settle users’ cross-chain intents, offering a preview of how other DeFi protocols could adopt intents in the future.  Chain abstraction and intents are two of the biggest themes in cross-chain interoperability in 2024 and it’s no secret that Across is deep into both topics. Across blazed the trail for intents when it launched the Across Bridge to give users seamless bridging experiences and this is the reason the protocol is now known as interop’s fastest and cheapest bridge. More recently, the protocol launched Across+, a chain abstraction tool that lets users request a transfer plus action at a destination.  But Across is not the only project to adopt chain abstraction and intents. More and more teams are taking similar design decisions as they share our view on how interop’s future could look. One such project is Perpetual Protocol, the derivatives platform behind the mobile Nekodex app.  While Nekodex has always focused on perps trading, the new app is set to launch a spot DEX with Across’ help. The upgrade will leverage Across to settle users’ cross-chain intents and a smart wallet feature will also level up the UX. With the new integration, Nekodex is building an offering unlike any other in DeFi today. We explain why we’re excited about it below.  How Nekodex will leverage the Across system Nekodex is a trading app built by Perpetual Protocol. Powered by Perp v3, the first version of the app offered an advanced mobile experience for trading perpetual swaps on Optimism. Now, Nekodex is integrating Across to launch its first spot trading markets.  Nekodex will leverage the Across system to offer users a smooth cross-chain trading experience. The Across stack can be unbundled into modules and Nekodex will use Across Settlement to offer users seamless cross-chain trading powered by intents.  Nekodex will use Across Settlement to offer intents-powered cross-chain trading.  Across Settlement taps into the protocol’s settlement layer to allow applications to offer cross-chain actions such as swaps. At the settlement layer, relayers fulfill intents and the system uses optimistic verification to repay them in bundles. The same optimizations that made Across a success are available to any application with Across Settlement as it can settle any intents-driven order flow. For Nekodex, that means users can articulate their intents, a cross-chain swap will be executed, and the order will be settled in the background.  Nekodex is doubling down on intents with Across. The new product will also use ZeroDev’s account abstraction tooling to provide users with smart wallets. The move to combine features from Across and ZeroDev makes for an all-encompassing DeFi trading experience where UX and UI take center stage. With these integrations, Nekodex users will be able to trade tokens across all chains through a slick wallet and the whole experience will be trustless.  Intents and optimistic verification  The core aim for Nekodex is creating a superb experience for the end user, something the Across system enables.  The key to Across’ offering is its intents-based architecture. In this system, sophisticated third parties step in to fulfill intents on behalf of users, effectively making a short-term loan. This means users enjoy extremely fast, cheap fills.  Nekodex wants to give DeFi users a superb trading experience with intents. Across will make it happen.  Intents have gained popularity this year for the UX benefits they offer users. But it’s worth mentioning the other advantages of this approach. Intents-based interoperability focuses on canonical assets, which do not carry the risks of representative assets. Moreover, as relayers lend out their assets to fill order, users’ funds are not at risk. Relayers take on the risk and that means they can be repaid in the background after the order is filled. UMA’s Optimistic Oracle secures Across, verifying repayments and settling any dispute cases.  A signal for interop’s future  Chain abstraction and intents will shape the interoperable future. We’ve long pushed this thesis at Across but other projects are increasingly signaling that they share the same view. The rise of chain abstraction and intents has strengthened our belief that bridging as we know it is dead. The future of interop looks closer to a world where users can access many applications across many different chains through one protocol. The Across system is built for that future. Cross-chain bridging as we know it is dead. Intents-powered interoperability is the future. Perpetual’s Nekodex is the latest DeFi offering to step into this future, integrating Across to power a cross-chain intents DEX. The new Nekodex will not only offer high-speed, low-cost trading — it will also settle users’ intents-driven order flow to offer users a smooth experience within one intuitive wallet interface. We can view the Nekodex update as a signal of where interop is likely to head in the future. The Across system focuses on modularity to let applications like Nekodex leverage intents to serve users’ needs. While Nekodex is one of the first projects to use this system to offer cross-chain DeFi trading with a Web2-like UX, it’s unlikely to be the last. We look forward to helping other cutting-edge DeFi applications push interop into the future with intents soon. To learn more about Nekodex, visit Perpetual Protocol’s website and check out the Nekodex mobile app. To learn more about Across, read our V3 announcement on the Across blog and check out the app here. Words by @dreamsofdefi

Tldr; Optimism is adopting ERC-7683, the cross-chain intents standard co-authored by Across and Uniswap Labs, to enable high-speed ETH and USDC transfers on the Superchain and further facilitate its app layer interop for broader Ethereum. Key takeaways:  Optimism is doubling down on ERC-7683 to bring users a unified Ethereum experience. Across is a Day One bridge to the Superchain. Optimism has integrated Across’ intents-based bridging solution to power fast bridging functionality within the Superchain bridge interfaces via Superbridge and Brid.gg. Optimism’s ERC-7683 adoption aligns with Vitalik’s vision for Ethereum’s future, addressing fragmentation issues within and beyond the Superchain ecosystem. Across and Uniswap Labs co-authored ERC-7683 to establish a unified framework for cross-chain intents, solving multi-chain fragmentation. The cross-chain ecosystem is expanding and intents are making seamless interoperability a reality today. In this landscape, ERC-7683, the cross-chain intents standard co-authored by Across and Uniswap Labs, is emerging as a key solution to address multi-chain fragmentation. Optimism also plays a key role in the cross-chain ecosystem’s development. Optimism built OP Mainnet, one of Ethereum’s top Layer 2 rollups, and its OP Stack framework has helped many new chains emerge. These chains include the likes of Base and Mode and form the Superchain ecosystem. Optimism is setting out to unify the Superchain, enabling users, assets, and developers to flow seamlessly across the network and beyond. To achieve this, Native Interoperability will be added to the OP Stack to enable protocol level interop. Additionally, open-source standard interfaces will be leveraged to facilitate app layer interop. Native Interop will enable secure, rapid cross-chain communication through multi-chain fault proofs, enhancing efficiency without compromising security. While this native standard will offer fast and secure message and asset transfer across the Superchain, it requires a solution like intents to unlock true interoperability for a unified Ethereum.  Synergies between intents and Native Interoperability Intents-based systems are layered on top of this architecture, enhancing the Superchain’s Native Interop in several ways: Reducing risk for end users by shifting equivocation risk to sophisticated third parties (fillers). Simplifying the UX of moving between the Superchain and other ecosystems. Extending Superchain Native Interop, unlocking true interoperability within the entire Ethereum ecosystem.  Additionally, Native Interop improves the economics, latency, and security of intents-based systems by enabling new, faster settlement pathways. This in turn reduces filler operational costs, leading to lower costs for end users and developers. This synergy between Native Interop and intents creates a fast, safe, low-cost, and flexible interoperability solution that boosts the Superchain ecosystem, potentially reducing filler loan times from 90 minutes to under 10 minutes. The power of intents  Optimism is leveraging Across’ technology as part of its strategy for fast bridge transfers for $ETH and $USDC. Across consistently ranks as the cheapest, fastest Layer 2 bridge thanks to its intents-based design.  In fact, we prefer to refer to Across as an “intents-based system.” This is not just another bridge—it’s the leading intents-based interoperability solution and its recent updates offer users and developers seamless cross-chain experiences.  Intents are emerging as a new standard for interop and Optimism is the latest heavyweight to double down. We’ve long believed that intents are the key to solving cross-chain interoperability. It’s a view we held when Across emerged back in late 2021 to offer users fast, cheap transfers. Our thesis has become more widely accepted as the protocol and the ecosystem at large has evolved.  In recent months, it’s become clear that many other key players in the Ethereum ecosystem share our belief in the power of intents. Uniswap Labs created ERC-7683 with Across to establish a unified standard for cross-chain intents and Vitalik has been one of this standard’s most vocal proponents. The industry is adopting intents as an emerging standard and Optimism is the latest heavyweight to double down.  ERC-7683 and the Superchain ecosystem If crypto is to achieve its full potential, it needs seamless cross-chain interoperability. Like Ethereum itself, Optimism has been focused on accelerating interoperability on Layer 2 and beyond.  ERC-7683 offers a crucial unlock for cross-chain interoperability.  ERC-7683 offers a crucial unlock for cross-chain interoperability by establishing a standard for cross-chain intents systems. The standard allows protocols to tap into a unified filler network, improving efficiency and UX for end users.  The standard enables low-latency, low-cost cross-chain transfers, leveraging a filler network to fulfill users’ intents. With a pool of fillers, latency and costs are reduced because fillers compete to fill orders and they operate with greater capital efficiency. Intents are extremely fast and cost-efficient because fillers assume finality risk, enabling near-instant transactions, while recycling capital rapidly to offer users minimal fees. While ERC-7683 provides a standard for cross-chain intents, Optimism is leveraging Across’ existing intents-based bridging solution to enable faster and cheaper transfers across the Superchain. The Superchain bridge interfaces Brid.gg and Superbridge have integrated Across to offer users high-speed transfers between chains in the Superchain network.  Intra-Superchain interop is live Across is the Superchain Bridge’s first intents-based interface integration to go live, giving users greater choice and faster transfers. Previously, interfaces only supported Layer 1 to Layer 2 transfers, meaning users would have to find alternative ways to bridge between Layer 2s. Now, users can quickly, cheaply, and securely move $ETH and $USDC between chains, while the Optimism Collective gains valuable insights into the impact of enabling asset interoperability. When moving between the Superchain, users can select the Standard Bridge, Optimism’s canonical bridge. Alternatively, they can use Across through Superbridge and Brid.gg to enjoy extremely fast Layer 2 to Layer 2 transfers within the Superchain.  Optimism’s effort goes beyond merely connecting the Superchain; it aims to unlock true interoperability within the entire Ethereum ecosystem. To that end, ERC-7683 and Native Interop are designed to work together to enable a secure, one-click, low cost, and fast solution for moving assets across chains. This will provide dApp developers with a single framework to leverage asset transfers across all of Ethereum, while ensuring the lowest slippage on the Superchain. 2024 and the interoperable future  The cross-chain ecosystem is growing fast and 2024 has surely been its most pivotal year yet. Intents are gaining pace and we believe they can enable true cross-chain interoperability and unify Ethereum. With ERC-7683 and Across now powering high-speed transfers throughout the Superchain ecosystem, the interoperable future is here now. And it looks brighter than ever. This piece was compiled with contributions and editing from Marlene Ronstedt, Across Product Marketing Manager and Ryan Carman, Across Product Lead. Words by @dreamsofdefi