The Battle for Layer2 Breakthrough: Metis' AI Infrastructure Overture
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The Battle for Layer2 Breakthrough: Metis' AI Infrastructure Overture
Metis is attempting to forge a unique growth path in the AI赛道 and write its own "rebirth" story.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: TechFlow
In the competitive arena of Ethereum Layer 2, the "hundred-chain war" is陷入a homogenization trap—over 100 chains are vying for similar DeFi users, replicating identical smart contracts, and the marginal benefits of technological innovation are rapidly diminishing.
As the entire Ethereum ecosystem faces a growth bottleneck, Metis—a veteran Layer 2 once labeled as the "Vitalik’s mother's best friend"—is quietly completing its third evolution: from an Ethereum scaling solution to a pioneer in decentralized sequencers, and now into anAI-dedicated infrastructure provider.
By launching the Metis SDK and Hyperion high-performance execution layer, and incubating the LazAI protocol, Metis is fully betting on the convergence of AI and Web3. This is not merely a technical upgrade, but an ecological transformation—from a single blockchain project to a multi-network infrastructure platform.
Over the past year, Solana achieved a remarkable rebound through MEME narratives. Now, Metis is attempting to forge a unique growth path in the AI sector, writing its own "rebirth" story.
Metis Reborn Once Again
Metis stands out uniquely within the Ethereum L2 ecosystem.
In 2018, just before the surge in demand for Ethereum scalability, it emerged under the name "MetisDAO." The label "Vitalik’s mother's best friend" brought attention to the project and endowed it with a distinctive MEME quality.
In 2021, Metis shattered external stereotypes by launching Andromeda, its mainnet based on Optimistic Rollup technology. Through data compression and batch submission mechanisms, it significantly reduced gas fees and improved processing efficiency, becoming the first successfully implemented OP scaling solution.
Why was this unexpected? It was only then that many realized Metis was not just a meme, but a “technology pioneer.”
In 2023, Metis developed ZKM, a zero-knowledge proof virtual machine (zkVM), supporting a hybrid model of OP and ZK Rollups, combining the scalability of Optimistic Rollups with the security of ZK Rollups, achieving both high throughput and low verification costs.
In 2024, Metis launched the industry’s first fully decentralized sequencer (DSEQ), transferring transaction sequencing power to the community via node staking and METIS governance token incentives, completely eliminating the risk of “single point of failure.”
However, at the beginning of 2025, the entire Ethereum ecosystem faces unprecedented crises and challenges.
Over the past year, DeFi innovations—the long-standing narrative pillar of Ethereum—have gradually hit bottlenecks, and user behavior has fundamentally shifted: users now shun VC-backed tokens and prioritize short-term profit maximization over long-term vision. This shift has directly impacted the development trajectory of the entire Ethereum ecosystem.
In contrast, Solana succeeded in attracting a large number of users by sacrificing some decentralization for ultimate performance; Base leveraged the Coinbase ecosystem to create a low-barrier, highly active on-chain experience. These cases clearly show: users today care more about practical experience andwealth effectsthan pure technological ideals.
Under the demystification of technology, major L2s must abandon illusions and save themselves.
As the first Layer 2 project in the industry to achieve a decentralized sequencer, Metis has always branded itself as a “change-maker.” Facing the困境of the Ethereum ecosystem, Metis did not lie flat—it actively sought change again, initiating a strategic transformation from L2 to AI infrastructure.
Metis SDK: Building AI Infrastructure for the Crypto World
In April, Metis officially released the Metis SDK, transforming Metis from a single general-purpose L2 into infrastructure empowering L2/L3 networks.
If blockchain development is compared to building houses, then the Metis SDK is an integrated "smart construction system" containing blueprints, materials, and tools—it helps developers easily build complex blockchain applications, reduces costs, and dramatically improves development efficiency.
Compared to traditional SDKs, Metis SDK is more powerful and flexible: it allows developers not only to build their own dedicated execution layers, but also offers optimizations tailored for AI, enabling the creation of AI-driven blockchain applications. It inherits Metis’ core strengths, such as deploying decentralized sequencer nodes and enabling cross-chain interoperability.
A powerful toolkit needs a landmark project to prove its capabilities.
Hyperion, the high-performance AI-native execution layer launched by Metis, can be seen as the first "smart city" built with the Metis SDK, showcasing the full potential of this toolset:
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High-Performance Computing: Achieves near-instant transaction confirmation through parallel execution and optimized opcode processing
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AI-Native Support: Built-in AI extensions make developing decentralized AI applications simple and intuitive
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Decentralized Infrastructure: A distributed network of sequencer nodes ensures fairness and system resilience
Conversely, the practical experience gained from Hyperion continuously feeds back into SDK development, driving functional improvements and evolution.
This is not just a simple technical upgrade, but a strategic transformation of the Metis ecosystem—Metis is evolving from a single blockchain project into a multi-network infrastructure platform.
Through Hyperion’s successful implementation, the practical value of the Metis SDK has been strongly validated. It provides clear development pathways and reference cases for other developers. Meanwhile, the METIS token gains true programmability through the SDK, evolving from a mere transaction medium into the core engine of the ecosystem.
With the seamless integration of SDK and Hyperion, Metis not only supports the development and deployment of more customized execution layers, but also drives the prosperity of Layer 2 and Layer 3 ecosystems.
Ecological Testbed: LazAI RedefinesAI Data Sovereignty
Built upon the Metis SDK, the high-performance AI-native execution layer Hyperion emerged naturally, laying the highway for AI applications. However, for public chains or L2s, building roads is easy—but attracting tenants is hard. Thus, Metis once again chose to lead by example, incubating the AI project LazAI.
AI is transforming from a mere tool into an agent with a certain degree of autonomy—a shift that demands a rethinking of the relationship between AI and humans.
LazAI targets a seemingly abstract yet critical issue: AI Misalignment.
Imagine if AI were a new colleague, today’s situation would be like this:
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You don’t know what knowledge they’ve learned (opaque data sources)
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You’re unclear how they make decisions (algorithmic black box)
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You cannot track their actions (lack of oversight)
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You’re uncertain who they actually work for (unclear interests)
The root of these problems lies in one fundamental element: data. LazAI believes the core cause of AI misalignment is that data remains undefined, unverifiable, and unpriced.
Unlike DeFi, which has clear valuation metrics like TVL and APR, the AI field lacks a unified standard for value measurement, making it difficult to price AI assets fairly. Moreover, key contributors in the AI ecosystem—data providers, model trainers—often fail to receive fair compensation for their contributions, resulting in severely imbalanced value distribution.
Therefore, what LazAI aims to build is neither a simple application nor a model company, but an entirely new AI protocol—designed to redefine how data, behaviors, models, and interactions become valuable assets within an AI-native economy.
To address these challenges, LazAI proposes a systematic solution:
iDAO (Individual Hub / IntelligentDAO)
In simple terms, this is a new organizational model where every individual or AI agent becomes a member, jointly participating in governance, validation, and reward distribution. Think of it as creating a “community” for AI, where each participant has a voice and responsibility, ensuring AI development aligns with collective interests rather than running wild. Like the “Academy of Athens” in the digital world, iDAO returns data sovereignty to individuals, with developers, trainers, and contributors forming dynamic checks and balances through DAO mechanisms.
DAT (Data AnchoredToken)
This is a data assetization standard developed by LazAI—not an ordinary NFT, but a semi-fungible token that transforms abstract data value into tradable crypto assets while recording the full lifecycle of AI assets.
For example, while a traditional NFT proves “this image belongs to you,” a DAT proves “how this data was created, used, trained, and what impact it generated.” It turns static data into dynamic assets—like turning a photograph into a documentary chronicling its influence.
Verifiable Computation
This acts as an “AI dashcam,” making model execution, reasoning, and behavior transparent and auditable. In layman’s terms, it ensures every step of AI operation is provable and traceable—just as financial transactions have ledgers, verifiable computation provides a trustworthy foundation for AI behavior, allowing AI asset pricing to better reflect real market demand.
These three elements are not isolated—they complement each other, collectively forming a complete system from data input to AI asset issuance.
For instance, during small AI model training, participants contribute data, use verifiable computation for validation and rights confirmation, issue assets via DAT, and manage decentralized governance and value distribution through iDAO.
As an AI data protocol, LazAI does not exist in isolation—it is built as a protocol layer within the Metis ecosystem. Metis serves as the token layer, providing unified governance and incentive mechanisms; Hyperion acts as the execution layer, handling real-time, high-performance AI interactions.
Together, these three layers form a complete AI+Web3 engine. In the future, LazAI could become the “flywheel engine” of Metis’ AI ecosystem: more users join → higher-quality data → smarter models → more applications → more users attracted.
Can Metis Replicate the “Solana-Level Growth Myth”?
In today’s saturated L1/L2 landscape, competition among chains is no longer just about technical performance—it’s a battle of ecological strategy and narrative execution.
Looking back at Solana’s resurgence, a stable technical foundation came first—after resolving downtime issues, Solana achieved over ten thousand TPS, becoming the go-to chain for high-concurrency scenarios like high-frequency trading thanks to its speed and low fees.
With solid infrastructure in place, Solana successfully identified real-world use cases—Meme coins and DePIN. Fueled by the meme wave, Solana’s ecosystem saw record-breaking transaction volumes.
While some criticize Solana for over-relying on speculative projects like meme coins, its strategy undeniably delivered results: massive transaction volume brings abundant liquidity, robust infrastructure attracts developers, a thriving developer ecosystem spawns new projects, and new projects feed back into the overall ecosystem.
This cycle established Solana’s liquidity moat, enabling a stunning rebound even during bear markets.
If Solana found its product-market fit (PMF) through memes, Metis has set its sights on the more strategic AI赛道. At a time when the meme space is nearing saturation, Metis’ all-in bet on AI offers distinct advantages:
Blue Ocean Market Potential: The convergence of AI and blockchain is still in its early stages, with market size and potential far exceeding previous meme trends. As one of the first blockchain projects focused on building AI infrastructure, Metis has the opportunity to establish first-mover advantage and brand recognition in this emerging field.
Technological Differentiation: Metis’ Hyperion architecture is specifically optimized for AI workloads, offering high-concurrency processing capabilities that solve the pain point of traditional blockchains being unable to support real-time AI computation. Its modular verification framework and data processing capacity provide an ideal environment for AI model training and inference.
Innovative Value Capture: Through the LazAI protocol, Metis has created a novel mechanism for capturing and distributing data value.
Unlike other chains still searching for transformation paths, Metis has clearly defined its positioning—becoming the preferred infrastructure for AI-native applications. This strategy avoids direct competition with giants like Ethereum and Solana, carving out a differentiated development path.
Metis’ breakout strategy can be summarized as: usinghigh-performance computinginfrastructure for AI as the spear, the innovativeSDKframework as the shield, and leveraging the LazAI protocol ecosystem to drive explosive growth.
As the core protocol of the Metis ecosystem, LazAI—through its unique triad architecture of iDAO, DAT, and verifiable computation—provides theoretical and technical foundations for deep integration between AI and blockchain. Meanwhile, the Metis SDK further lowers the development barrier, enabling more developers to easily build AI applications on Metis. This “protocol + tools” combination greatly expands Metis’ ecological potential and application scenarios.
From “Vitalik’s mother's best friend” to Layer 2 pioneer, and now to AI infrastructure innovator, each transformation of Metis demonstrates the team’s execution capability and resilience.
In the next wave of crypto narratives, can Metis break through to become the leader in the AI赛道? Only time will tell.
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