We're excited to team up with Avalanche to launch Project Ridge, which will bring trustless, super-efficient interoperability to Avalanche L1s.
This collaboration will create a trustless, secure IBC connection to Avalanche L1s, enhancing liquidity and cross-chain efficiency. Union’s ZK technology and consensus verification will provide Avalanche L1s with access to all L1s, L2s, and appchains within Union’s network.
As part of the integration, Union will receive an InfraBUIDL() Grant from the Avalanche Foundation to cover development and audit efforts.
Why This Matters
The Avalanche ecosystem is known for its commitment to decentralization, scalability, and performance. With Project Ridge, Union will integrate IBC Warp Messaging into Avalanche L1s using a highly secure, trustless light client architecture. This initiative will enable L1s to connect effortlessly for low-risk asset transfers and secure communication across any execution environment.
Here’s how Union aims to transform interoperability for Avalanche L1s:
Trustless Security: Unlike traditional bridging protocols that rely on multi-signature schemes and third-party trust, Union’s solution is based on trust-minimized light client architecture. This eliminates vulnerabilities such as double-spending and the risks associated with block reorganizations.
Permissionless Integration: Any Avalanche L1 will have the option to join the IBC network autonomously, reinforcing decentralization and reducing the dependency on centralized bridge providers.
Comprehensive Features: Union’s integration will unlock features like storage proofs, historic state queries, asset transfers, and account abstraction for Avalanche L1s, broadening the functional scope and flexibility of Avalanche’s ecosystem.
Union Labs will develop two key components:
P-chain Light Client: A specification and implementation built in Rust, accompanied by comprehensive documentation and testing.
ZK Circuit for P-chain Light Client: A zero-knowledge circuit complete with a verifier and robust testing to support the P-chain light client.
This framework ensures a trustless, fast, and cost-efficient bridging solution by leveraging BLS signature aggregation, which reduces on-chain computation costs.
The Benefits for Avalanche L1s
Avalanche L1s will receive the following benefits from Project Ridge:
Speed and Efficiency: Union’s bridge solution ensures quick transaction generation and settlement, significantly reducing wait times and improving user experience.
Security Without Compromise: By relying on consensus verification, Avalanche L1s will avoid common bridging vulnerabilities, creating a safe environment for asset and data transfers.
Cost-effectiveness: ZK proofs and aggregated signature verification translates to lower operating costs compared to other bridging solutions.
Connectivity to a Wider Ecosystem: Avalanche L1s will be able to engage with IBC-based and Union-connected projects.
Project Roadmap
The development of Project Ridge will be kicked off in Q4 2024 and be available for testing in Q1 2025. The project will be divided into three phases:
Phase 1: P-Chain light client specification and implementation.
Phase 2: Light client verification and packet transfer testing.
Phase 3: Commercial deployment, rigorous audits, and co-marketing efforts.
A Vision for the Future
Union’s mission is to connect all blockchains and rollups, across any ecosystem. Project Ridge not only represents the start of a strategic partnership with Avalanche but sets the foundation for broader interoperability initiatives that can scale to support thousands of chains.
With this partnership, Union and Avalanche will create pathways for Avalanche L1s to thrive in a multi-chain environment. Follow @union_build on X to stay up to date with Project Ridge.