Solana Co-Founder Yakovenko: L2 Solutions Unnecessary for Blockchain Scalability

Anatoly Yakovenko, the co-founder of Solana, has sparked a new debate on blockchain scalability by asserting that Layer-2 (L2) solutions are unnecessary. This stance has drawn attention from key industry leaders and has added to the ongoing discourse about the efficiency and security of L2 networks.

Yakovenko responded to a claim made by Ethereum builder rip.eth, who argued that L2s are inherently faster, cheaper, and more secure than Layer-1 (L1) blockchains. Rip.eth contended that L2s avoid the high costs and consensus risks associated with maintaining a full-fledged L1. They cited the example of Eclipse, a Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)-based L2 that leverages Ethereum for security, suggesting that L2s could combine Solana’s speed with Ethereum’s decentralized security.

However, Yakovenko dismissed this idea, asserting that Solana’s L1 already provides sufficient scalability without the need for an L2. He argued that L1s can achieve the same efficiencies without the added complexity of L2 solutions. “There is no reason to build an L2. L1s can be faster, cheaper, and more secure,” Yakovenko stated. He pointed out that L2s face trade-offs due to their reliance on an L1’s data availability stack, fraud proofs, and upgrade multisigs, all of which introduce additional security concerns.

The conversation expanded to include concerns about blockchain scalability, with a user questioning what happens when the amount of data stored on-chain grows exponentially. Yakovenko responded that Solana currently generates around 80 terabytes of data per year, which is relatively small in a business context but large for individual storage. An advocate for decentralization questioned Solana’s approach to managing unused storage, given that its state rent mechanism is inactive.

Yakovenko clarified that Solana’s ledger will be stored on decentralized solutions like Filecoin (FIL). He indicated that offloading historical blockchain data to external storage providers is part of Solana’s long-term plan. This approach aims to address the challenges of managing large volumes of data while maintaining decentralization and security.

Yakovenko’s argument against L2s comes at a time when Ethereum is experiencing significant changes in its transaction fee model. A decline in Ethereum transaction fees suggests that L2 adoption has helped reduce users’ costs, challenging the notion that L1 blockchains alone can meet all scalability needs without L2 enhancements. Additionally, the founder of Binance recently sparked a debate on whether artificial intelligence (AI) projects should be built on L1 or L2 solutions, highlighting the ongoing industry divide over where future blockchain-based AI applications should reside.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently weighed in on L2 sustainability, predicting that some L2 networks would fail due to economic and security constraints. However, he also outlined a roadmap to scale Ethereum’s L1 and L2 protocols in 2025, acknowledging that both layers will contribute to its growth. “We need to continue building up the technical and social properties, and the utility, of Ethereum,” Buterin wrote.

Yakovenko’s firm stance against L2s highlights the growing divergence in blockchain scaling strategies. While Solana aims to push L1 scalability to its limits, Ethereum continues to develop both L1 and L2 solutions to achieve a balanced approach. This debate underscores the complex nature of blockchain scalability and the need for innovative solutions to address the challenges of data management and security in decentralized networks.