ZK-focused Manta Pacific opts out of OP Stack for Polygon CDK

Manta, a blockchain network focusing on zero-knowledge (ZK) applications, will migrate its software from OP Stack to Polygon CDK, according to an October 16 announcement. This means that Manta will not be integrated into the upcoming Optimism Superchain and will instead become part of the Polygon ecosystem.

Manta network is an Ethereum layer-2 focusing on zero-knowledge-based applications, including digital identity and privacy solutions. It launched a mainnet on September 12 and has processed more than 500,000 transactions.

Manta was originally developed as an optimistic rollup that uses the OP Stack software developed by Optimism Labs. This software is intended to help create a “Superchain” of interconnected networks that will share the same security model. However, it faces competition from the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK), which employs a different security model but is also used to create a web of interconnected blockchain networks.

In its announcement, Manta said it chose to migrate to Polygon CDK for three reasons. First, with Polygon CDK, deposits and withdrawals can be processed quickly, as they don’t require a period of time for fraud proofs to be submitted. “Finality can happen in minutes or seconds, rather than days,” the announcement stated. This is because “CDK leverages the security of math rather than the social-economic incentives of fraud proofs.”

Secondly, Manta claimed that Polygon CDK is more “modular” and “sovereign” than alternatives, giving the team more flexibility as it continues to build out features. Thirdly, using Polygon CDK will allow developers to create a “trustless ZK bridge to Ethereum.” Over the long run, this bridge will allow users of different Polygon CDK networks to access each other’s liquidity, making the network part of a larger ecosystem.

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The Polygon ecosystem originally consisted of just the Polygon Proof of Stake network. On March 27, the Polygon team launched a second network, Polygon zkEVM. In June, they announced plans to integrate these two networks into a new ecosystem called “Polygon 2.0.”

The Optimism ecosystem added a second network on August 9, as Coinbase launched Base network. On October 3, the Optimism team launched a fraud-proof system that’s intended to be used throughout its ecosystem.