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Surge Architecture

Surge Architecture

Purpose of Each Component​

Surge’s architecture is composed of several key components, each serving a specific function:

  • Nethermind Execution Client (NMC): A high-performance Ethereum client that delivers Gigagas performance. NMC Documentation.

  • Taiko Client: Manages the consensus layer of the rollup. Taiko Documentation.

Components of the Taiko Stack​

The Taiko Client consists of several sub-components:

  • Taiko Prover: Generates state transition proofs for the rollup.
  • Taiko Driver: Follows and monitors the rollup’s state transitions.
  • Taiko Proposer: Proposes new blocks to the rollup.

How Surge Differs from the Taiko Stack​

Surge has customized aspects of the Taiko architecture to enhance performance and remove any reliance on new tokens:

  1. Token-Free Design: Surge removes token dependencies, allowing the use of Ether as a bond for block proposals.
  2. Execution Client Upgrade: Replaced TaikoGeth with the Nethermind Execution Client (NMC) to achieve better performance. NMC Documentation.
  3. Time-Locked Owner: Modified the multisig implementation to feature a 45-day timelock, aligning with Stage 2 requirements by L2Beat.
  4. Verification Streak Checks: Owner operations via the multisig are blocked if there has been a liveness disruption of 7 days or more within the past 45 days.
  5. Disabled Pausing: The owner cannot pause the protocol or peripheral contracts.
  6. 2/3 Proof Verifier: There are three proof systems (SGX, SP1, and Risc0). At least two of these must agree on a state transition for it to be accepted.
  7. No Contestation Window: As Surge employs a single ZK approach (no optimistic fallback), it does not require a contestation window. This design choice makes Surge a pure ZK-Rollup rather than an Optimistic Rollup.