Towards Chain Abstraction: Introducing Safe{Foundry} To Solve Multi-Chain Challenges

For about 15 years, blockchain has reshaped how people worldwide handle transactions, own assets, and build applications. Starting with Bitcoin, continuing with the revolution of smart contracts on Ethereum, and arriving in the last couple of years with Layer 2 and EVM-compatible chains like Arbitrum or Optimism, the crypto industry has come a long way.

But let's face it – we're still far from true global adoption. Why? Because using web3 can be a real headache for developers and everyday users.

Think about it: unpredictable fees, complex gas calculations, and UX that still feel like you need a Ph.D. to navigate. It's not exactly user-friendly for newcomers.

But here's the exciting part: Chain Abstraction could change all that. Let's break down the problems and see how Safe, the biggest Smart Account ecosystem on EVM, is tackling these challenges head-on.

The Three Big Challenges: What’s Holding Web3 Back?

Despite the progress, blockchain still faces hurdles that make it difficult for mass adoption. Safe has identified three main problems that need fixing as part of its Cross-Chain Smart Account strategy. These challenges all revolve around the need for aggregation or unification of user accounts across different chains.

1. State Drift / Unified State: Bringing It All Together

One of the biggest issues is the fragmentation of user accounts across multiple chains. How do we unify control of Smart Accounts across different networks?

This is where the concept of a unified state comes into play. Imagine managing all your assets, identities, and permissions seamlessly, no matter what chain you're on. That’s the goal Safe is aiming for.

2. Multi-Address Management: Simplifying the Chaos

Let’s face it – managing multiple addresses across different chains is a nightmare.

With multi-chain address management, Safe wants to make it easy to understand and control your Smart Accounts across all chains. No more juggling between wallets or losing track of your assets. Everything is aggregated into one intuitive interface.

3. Cross-Chain Operations: Making Interactions Seamless

Interacting across different blockchains is complex and frustrating.

Safe’s goal is to orchestrate operations for Smart Accounts across chains in a way that feels smooth and simple. This includes everything from executing cross-chain transactions to resolving intents with minimal hassle.

Collaborating to Solve Fragmentation

We are building solutions on Safe{Wallet} and Safe{Core} to tackle these challenges. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of topics Safe is eager to explore:

• Multi-chain Address Management: Simplifying how users manage multiple addresses across different blockchains.
• Cross-chain UserOps / Chain Abstraction / Intents Solver: Streamlining operations and making cross-chain interactions more intuitive.
• Unified State / State Drift (Keystore): Ensuring a consistent and unified user experience across all chains.

Why Chain Abstraction Matters

Chain Abstraction isn’t just about solving technical challenges; it’s about making blockchain usable for everyone. By focusing on unifying accounts, simplifying multi-chain management, and creating seamless cross-chain operations, Safe is paving the way for a more accessible and user-friendly web3 experience.

Introducing Safe{Foundry}: Open-source research on Chain Abstraction

We are collaborating with top web3 teams like Coinbase, Scroll, and more to build the future of smart accounts. Now, we want to partner with more top projects to experiment with solutions on Safe{Wallet} and Safe{Core} to solve challenges resulting from network fragmentation. Below is a non-exhaustive list of topics we would like to explore:

• Multi-chain address management
• Cross-chain userop / Chain Abstraction / intents solver
• Unified state / State drift (keystore)

Want to create with us the future of Onchain Abstraction?

?? Apply today to join Safe{Foundry}

?? Follow the latest updates: x.com/safe

?? Build with us: Safe Documentation

Author: Alessandro S. Capezza Ξ?