ZetaChain Holders Vote to Migrate ZETA to Solana, Wind Down Its Layer-1 Chain

ZetaChain token holders voted on Sunday to retire the project's Layer 1 blockchain and migrate the ZETA token to Solana, effectively ending ZetaChain as an independent chain. Governance Proposal 68 closed at 10:58 a.m. ET with 99.4% approval, according to the project's governance portal. Voter participation reached 58%, clearing the 40% quorum. Opposition and abstentions each represented 0.3%. ZetaChain raised $27 million three years ago with a mission to help connect competing networks. The development team now plans to concentrate on Anuma, a private AI application launched in February, saying the app no longer requires ZetaChain's own blockchain. Anuma and ZETA are expected to move to Solana as part of the transition. The project reports more than 300,000 Anuma users and 1 million requests spanning 35 AI models. It says Anuma's encrypted memory system works across models, and ZETA holders can lock tokens to receive credits that can be spent on AI services. The team also argues Solana's AI stack is missing an application layer with user-controlled memory that operates across models, apps, and agents. In the proposal, ZetaChain cited the operational burden of maintaining a Cosmos SDK chain, including coordinating upstream advisories and patches across dozens of independent validators. It also warned that AI tools are making vulnerabilities easier to discover, pointing to an August 25 patch. Last month, Cosmos Labs disclosed attacks on six Cosmos EVM chains, excluding ZetaChain, and said attackers sold stolen funds for about $5.7 million. The shutdown will not be immediate, as contributors still need to finalize conversion details. Under the plan, ZETA would be reissued as a native Solana SPL token on a one-for-one basis, keeping its ticker and total supply. Vesting schedules would remain unchanged. The proposal excludes ZETA on Ethereum and BNB Chain. A follow-up proposal will set the balance snapshot block height and the shutdown block, and will outline how holders can claim tokens and withdraw assets from connected chains. ZetaChain said it will not submit that proposal for a vote until exchanges confirm swap arrangements, and it has not given a firm timeline. ZETA staking will continue in the meantime, while the team evaluates how staking and rewards could work on Solana. Blockchain.com and Jane Street Capital were among the investors in ZetaChain's August 2023 funding round. The project announced its mainnet launch the following January. ZETA fell about 2.5% over the past 24 hours, according to The Block's ZetaChain Price page.