Sophon Shuts Down ZK Layer 2, Moves to Base to Cut $3.4M Annual Costs

According to announcement on June 25, Sophon is shutting down its ZK-powered Layer 2 blockchain and migrating to Coinbase's Base network to focus on consumer applications. The project will relaunch as a consumer product studio building on Base.

Sophon contributor Sebastien stated the chain's annual maintenance cost is approximately $3.4 million, with shutdown expected to reduce yearly burn by roughly $3 million. The team cited insufficient transaction growth and the view that low-cost blockchain infrastructure has become commoditized. The project raised $60–70 million in earlier funding and launched mainnet in December 2024.