Today, Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture between global entertainment company Sony Group Corporation and web3 innovator Startale, announced the development of Soneium, an Ethereum layer-2 designed to unlock web3’s global adoption.
Startale Labs’ CEO, Sota Watanabe, is also Director of Sony Block Solutions Labs and Founder of Astar Network, whose Astar zkEVM layer-2 solution will integrate its assets and underlying infrastructure with Soneium as a special launch partner. Soneium’s premier technical launch partners include leading Ethereum scaling solution, Optimism, and industry-standard decentralized computing platform, Chainlink.
Chainlink’s comprehensive suite of web3 services is powered by the network’s time-tested decentralized oracle infrastructure, which has securely and reliably enabled over $14 trillion in transaction value, even during volatile market conditions and adverse events such as flash loan attacks.
“The leadership shown by Sony Group with the launch of Soneium is a strong signal of the advancements taking place in the blockchain industry,” said Johann Eid, Chief Business Officer at Chainlink Labs, in an official announcement. “We are excited to support Soneium’s vision through the Chainlink platform, enabling Soneium to extensively impact the current blockchain landscape and drive adoption both regionally, in markets like Japan, and globally.”
Conceived as a “powerful playground” for web3 visionaries, Soneium will leverage Sony Group’s vast global distribution network across entertainment, finance, electronics, and gaming to “bridge the gap between Web3 innovation and everyday consumer applications,” with an accessible, scalable, user-friendly network that delivers blockchain solutions to people and industries around the world.
“We believe that Sony Group’s launch of an Ethereum Layer 2 in collaboration with Startale is a pivotal moment for the entire industry,” said Sota Watanabe. “Sony Group has strong distribution channels in multiple industries and existing users in our daily lives. Through Soneium, we will make something people want and go mainstream beyond web3.”
Soneium will be built on Optimism’s OP Stack as part of the ecosystem’s “Superchain.” The Soneium testnet is expected to launch within the next few days, giving developers first-hand experience with building applications on Soneium. Detailed documentation introducing developers to the technical intricacies of Soneium’s platform will be released over the coming weeks.
To learn more, visit Soneium’s website, X, Discord, and Telegram.