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Introduction to Surge

Surge is a high-performance, based rollup template built on a modified Taiko stack that embodies Ethereum's principles of decentralization, security, and censorship resistance. Developed by Nethermind as a research and experimentation platform, Surge demonstrates what's possible when rollups maximize both performance and trustlessness without compromising on security.

Surge stands out by adopting a Stage 2 security framework from the very beginning, leveraging Ethereum validators rather than a centralized sequencer for transaction ordering, and aiming for Gigagas throughput through the Nethermind Execution Client (NMC). Surge uses ETH for gas and bonds, avoiding the need for an L2 governance token. Together, these design decisions ensure robust decentralization and censorship resistance while maintaining alignment with Ethereum's core principles.

What Makes Surge Unique?​

  • Based Architecture: Surge relies on Ethereum's validators for transaction ordering. This design inherits Ethereum's security guarantees and censorship resistance directly, making Surge as decentralized as Ethereum itself.
  • Stage 2 Security Framework: From inception, Surge implements L2Beat's most rigorous security stage (Stage 2), featuring a 45-day exit window, no emergency powers, and strictly limited governance capabilities.
  • Tokenless: Uses Ether (ETH) for gas and bonds, avoiding the need for an L2 governance token and the misaligned incentives that often accompany them.
  • Gigagas Performance: Leveraging Nethermind Client's already demonstrated Gigagas ability (as showcased in Nethermind Client v1.30.0), Surge achieves extraordinary throughput capabilities that scale far beyond traditional execution environments. For more details, see the Gigagas documentation.
  • Multi-Prover Proof System: Employs zero-knowledge proofs for trustless scaling with a 2/3 multi-prover security model requiring agreement from at least two of three independent proving systems, one of which must be a ZK proof system.
  • Open Source & Replicable: The infrastructure and code are fully open source, allowing the community to maintain or fork Surge at any time.

Research-Focused Approach​

Surge is not designed to compete with existing rollups for users or market share. Instead, it serves as a:

  1. Technical Showcase: Demonstrating Nethermind's capabilities in client optimization and rollup design.
  2. Experimentation Platform: Exploring the boundaries of rollup performance, transaction throughput, and implementation flexibility while maintaining maximum security and decentralization.
  3. Reference Implementation: Providing the community with an open-source, fully-featured rollup template that prioritizes Ethereum's core values, censorship resistance, and cross-rollup composability.

This approach reflects Nethermind's commitment to advancing the rollup-centric roadmap through practical research rather than market competition, focusing on seamless L1 and cross-rollup composability to create a more interconnected Ethereum ecosystem.

Who is Surge For?​

Surge is designed with a clear and focused audience in mind — one that reflects its role as a research and development platform rather than a mass-market product. Unlike traditional rollups that chase user adoption, Surge is purpose-built for experimentation, technical exploration, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on Ethereum.

  • Builders: Block builders and MEV searchers exploring cross-layer opportunities enabled by Surge’s based architecture. By aligning economic incentives with Ethereum’s validators, Surge unlocks new mechanisms for value extraction and redistribution across the ecosystem.
  • Researchers: Technical teams working on rollup optimizations, novel protocol designs, and high-performance applications. Surge provides a clean-slate environment for implementing and testing new ideas without the overhead of backwards compatibility or user disruption.

By focusing on technical constituencies — not end-users — Surge enables rapid iteration and deep innovation. It serves as a proving ground for ideas that can ultimately benefit the entire Ethereum ecosystem, without being constrained by commercial product demands or mainstream usability expectations.

Roadmap and Vision​

Surge represents one component of Nethermind's broader rollup roadmap, which includes:

  • Surge Rollup Template: The core based rollup platform with Gigagas capabilities.
  • Surge Power-Ups: Open-source plugins that can enhance any based rollup with preconfirmations, optimized proving, advanced block building, and seamless layer composability.

Together, these initiatives aim to advance the state of rollup technology while maintaining alignment with Ethereum's values of decentralization, security, and permissionlessness.

Getting Started​

Surge is continually evolving. By taking part in its testnet, you can experience firsthand how a truly decentralized rollup — rooted in Ethereum’s security and designed for long-term sustainability — can shape the future of Layer 2 solutions.

Researchers, developers, and ecosystem participants are invited to explore Surge as an example of what truly decentralized, high-performance rollups can achieve.