Sony Launches Soneium: A New Layer-2 Blockchain Network

Sony Ventures into Blockchain with New Layer-2 Network

Sony, the renowned Japanese electronics company celebrated for pioneering innovations like the Betamax and Walkman in the 1970s, is embarking on an exciting journey into the world of blockchain technology. In a recent announcement, Sony Block Solutions Labs— a collaborative initiative between Sony Group and Singapore-based Startale Labs—revealed their plans to launch a new layer-2 network, aptly named Soneium, built atop the Ethereum blockchain.

This development indicates a resurgence of interest from mainstream corporations in creating consumer-focused products utilizing blockchain technology. Soneium is anticipated to debut on a test network shortly, utilizing optimistic rollup technology. This approach enables users to conduct transactions on networks built on Ethereum at a reduced cost, enhancing accessibility and efficiency.

The Soneium network will be constructed using the OP Stack from the Optimism blockchain ecosystem, a versatile toolkit designed to empower developers to establish their own networks while leveraging Optimism’s framework. This setup will facilitate connections to other networks within the ecosystem through the “Superchain.” Notable projects utilizing the OP Stack include Coinbase’s “Base” and the decentralized identity initiative “World Chain” by Worldcoin.

Focusing on Web3 Integration

Startale Labs is spearheaded by CEO Sota Watanabe, who also serves as the director at Sony Block Solutions Labs and is a co-founder of the Astar Network. Startale has spun out from the Astar Foundation and has played a significant role in maintaining the Astar zkEVM, which incorporates Polygon’s Chain Development Kit (CDK) as a competitor to the OP Stack, while leveraging Polygon’s advanced zero-knowledge technology.

Watanabe shared in an interview with CoinDesk that Startale will now concentrate its resources and efforts exclusively on Soneium, shifting away from Astar zkEVM. “Astar zkEVM will be integrating its assets and underlying infrastructure with Soneium,” Sony Block Solutions Labs stated in a press release distributed to CoinDesk.

According to Watanabe, the initial phase will focus on “onboarding Web3 enthusiasts,” as he believes that both the technology and community are still in their early stages for widespread adoption by general users. “Our second phase, set to unfold within two years, aims to incorporate Sony products such as Sony Bank, Sony Music, and Sony Pictures into this ecosystem,” he elaborated. “Our goal is to seamlessly integrate Web3 and blockchain technology into Sony’s offerings. In three years, we envision onboarding not just Sony, but also various enterprises and a multitude of decentralized applications (dApps) on top of our network.”

“This is a broad timeline, and we are committed to onboarding as many enterprises as possible from the very first year,” Watanabe concluded.

Read more: Sony Network Communications Invests $3.5M in Singapore Web3 Company Startale Labs