AIP-368: ApeChain - A zk-Powered Polygon Layer-2 to Support ApeCoin Growth

ABSTRACT

Polygon Labs proposes that ApeCoin DAO launch and maintain its own zero-knowledge powered Layer-2 (“zk-L2”) with the Polygon Chain Development Kit (“CDK”) to accelerate the growth and development of the ApeCoin ecosystem.

This proposal includes (1) the launch of a dedicated ApeCoin zk-L2 chain (“ApeChain”) built and maintained by Gateway.fm, a premier rollup as a service (“RaaS”) provider that builds Web3 infrastructure and tooling products with advisory support from Polygon Labs and oversight of such building and maintenance to be conducted by the ApeCoin DAO Foundation and (2) ecosystem collaboration with Polygon Labs to help stimulate the growth of ApeCoin-integrated projects (experiences, entertainment, games and consumer applications) and ApeChain-related public goods (middleware, marketplaces, and necessary infrastructure).

As contemplated under “Gateway.fm as RaaS Provider and Architecture Considerations” below, ApeChain will be fully owned, governed and run under the patronage of the ApeCoin DAO community with 100% of all revenue, including sequencer fees or any potential Native Yield (defined below), accruing to the ApeCoin DAO and ApeCoin Validators (defined below). No AIP Idea is inherently linked to this AIP and all AIP Ideas–design architecture or otherwise–not explicitly covered within this AIP (e.g., a separate “ApeChain token” launch/airdrop or a development fund from the ApeCoin DAO treasury to help stimulate the growth of ApeCoin-integrated projects and ApeChain-related public goods) is not precluded from this ApeChain implementation but instead is left to the community (e.g., through subsequent AIPs by ApeCoin community members) even in cases where Polygon Labs does not believe it would be in the best interests of APE holders.





BENEFIT TO APECOIN ECOSYSTEM

The ApeCoin community has been aware that ApeCoin “will need to migrate to its own chain in order to properly scale” since these very words were tweeted by Yuga Labs nearly 18 months ago. Indeed, Yuga Labs went on to “encourage the [ApeCoin] DAO to start thinking in this direction.” While ApeCoin DAO voted on AIP-41 to keep ApeCoin within the Ethereum ecosystem, the question of an ApeCoin-specific chain is open and remains ripe for decision.

Here’s where this AIP comes in: to propose a dedicated ApeChain, using Polygon CDK, an open source toolset developers can use to launch their own zk-powered L2 on Ethereum with little friction and an emphasis on modularity, built and maintained by Gateway.fm with advisory support from Polygon Labs and oversight by the ApeCoin DAO Foundation.

As detailed below under “Platforms and Technologies,” ApeChain will provide ApeCoin DAO and its members potential sequencer fees and staking rewards for network validators while solving the scaling issue mentioned above. In other words, this chain will provide dedicated, ultra-premium and inexpensive blockspace for ApeCoin DAO-affiliated and/or -incubated experiences, entertainment, games and consumer applications that will ultimately bring not only more users into the ApeCoin ecosystem, but also additional activity and creation of all types of value (content, assets, data and the like).

Polygon CDK has seen great adoption already. Chains being developed using Polygon CDK and core contributors thereto include X1 (built by OKX), Immutable zkEVM, NEAR zkWASM, Gnosis Pay, Capx, Palm Network, Astar zkEVM, Canto and Celestia (for data availability), among others. This is because Polygon CDK offers the highest degree of flexibility in scaling Ethereum while also remaining maximally secure.

ApeCoin DAO's stated mission is to “empower a decentralized community building at the forefront of web3.” Via $APE, ApeCoin DAO will build and support “a decentralized protocol layer for community-led initiatives that drive culture forward into the metaverse."

ApeChain will provide the ApeCoin DAO with an efficient and secure execution environment upon which ApeCoin DAO projects can be built to help realize this mission. As a result, by virtue of ApeCoin DAO gaining composability and interoperability with the entire modular suite of Polygon solutions (including Polygon PoS, which will soon be upgraded to a zkEVM Validium, Polygon zkEVM, Polygon Miden and various customizable L2 permutations using the CDK, together “Polygon Architecture”), the ApeCoin ecosystem will be primed for tremendous growth.

With thousands of dApps and millions of daily transactions, the Polygon Architecture is by far the most robust and stable Ethereum L2 scaling solution. With ApeCoin already bridged onto Polygon PoS, it is already available to be used by all dApps across Polygon Architecture – including for gas and staking in relation to dApps built on the proposed ApeChain (see “Platforms and Technologies” below).

It is well-documented that mainstream adoption of blockchain technology and Web3 is underway, and the Polygon Architecture is helping to bring blockchain to “Internet-scale.” This is across verticals and use cases, including gaming (Square Enix), loyalty rewards (Starbucks), phygital goods and co-creation (Nike), digital avatars (Reddit), self-expression and identity (L’Oreal) and the most adopted Web3-native use cases (from defi, like Uniswap and Aave, to the open metaverse, like Sandbox and Decentraland). As such, the Polygon Architecture is the most well-suited ecosystem for ApeCoin DAO to launch “community-led initiatives that drive culture forward into the metaverse” and Polygon Labs is the most well-suited entity to help ApeCoin DAO to stimulate the growth of ApeCoin-integrated projects and ApeChain-related public goods.

OVERALL COST

As laid out in the preceding sections of this AIP, we estimate that the costs for building, deploying and maintaining ApeChain for one year, will be a maximum of $200,000 USD. None of these expenses would be paid to Polygon Labs or any affiliate of Polygon Labs. Instead, they would be used to pay Gateway.fm and its infrastructure costs.

Once ApeChain is built, deployed and maintained, the DAO (as a self-governing entity) will decide for itself how it will fund and maintain ApeChain in subsequent years. Possibilities include negotiating with the Gateway.fm on a contract extension or fielding proposals from community members with sufficient expertise who are willing to contribute to ApeChain’s maintenance, for example.

PROPOSAL

Link to the full proposal: https://forum.apecoin.com/t/aip-368-apechain-a-zk-powered-polygon-layer-2-to-support-apecoin-growth/19308

The AIP implementation is administered by the Ape Foundation. Implementation may be immaterially or materially altered to optimise for security, usability, to protect APE holders, and otherwise to effect the intent of the AIP. Any material deviations from an AIP, as initially approved, will be disclosed to the APE holder community.