The upgrade has reinforced Cronos zkEVM’s position as a cutting-edge blockchain solution in the multi-chain world.
Leading open-source blockchain project Cronos announced on 22 January 2025 that the Cronos zkEVM mainnet completed its upgrade successfully to integrate zksync’s newest release.
The upgrade is seen as a crucial milestone for both the Cronos and Ethereum ecosystem as it makes Cronos zkEVM one of the most advanced Layer 2 solutions for Ethereum.
Background: The Cronos zkEVM Vision
Cronos zkEVM is a next generation zero knowledge layer-2 focused on scalability, security and cost efficiency.
The blockchain network using ZK Stack was launched in 2023 as a partnership between Cronos Labs and engineering teams from Matter Labs (the team behind ZKsync), Crypto.com, VVS Finance, Fulcrom Finance and Veno Finance.
It leverages Cronos’ vibrant ecosystem of end-users and developers to act as a platform for building the latest innovative projects that can shape the future of blockchain
The Latest Upgrade: Timeline
On 16 December 2024, Cronos announced that the Cronos zkEVM would undergo an upgrade on 9 January 2024 to enhance its capabilities by integrating zksync’s newest release.
The upgrade was then rescheduled to 22 January 2025 to accommodate what the company called “latest enhancements”. The platform experienced a short, temporary downtime to facilitate a smooth transition, before announcing the success of the upgrade.
Why this Matters:
The upgrade enables:
1. Gas Efficiency, leading to lower transaction costs for users
2. Optimized Execution, reducing processing times
3. Enhanced User experience by improving overall network performance.
Thus, Cronos zkEVM has not only improved its capability to build and scale dApps for developers but blockchain interactions are also more affordable and efficient for users due to the upgrade.
