Scale or Die at Accelerate 2025: Solver Infrastructure

In a groundbreaking presentation at Accelerate 2025, Krystof Kosina from RockawayX Labs unveils the challenges and innovative solutions in developing production-level cross-chain solvers on Solana. With over $1 billion in processed volume, RockawayX is reshaping the landscape of cross-chain transactions and pushing the boundaries of Solana's capabilities.

Summary

Krystof Kosina, representing RockawayX Labs, delivered an insightful talk on the development of cross-chain solvers and the challenges faced when building real-world applications on Solana. The presentation highlighted RockawayX's recent shift towards becoming the best cross-chain solver, processing over a billion dollars in volume and dominating more than 70% of volume on Mian.

Kosina delved into the intricacies of cross-chain solving, explaining it as meta-solving on top of true solvers on each chain. He outlined the process of winning auctions on one chain and immediately sending users money without waiting for finality, settling with the protocol later. This approach, while seemingly straightforward, comes with its own set of challenges in the blockchain ecosystem.

The speaker identified several "curveballs" in the blockchain world, including the unreliability of DEX aggregators, liquidity concentration issues, volatile rebalancing expenses, and the potential for costly developer mistakes. To combat these challenges, RockawayX developed innovative solutions, including a sophisticated signing system called Plutus Signer and strategies for efficient capital replacement.

One of the most significant issues addressed was transaction landing on Solana. Kosina introduced their "machine gun sender" approach, designed to overcome the various reasons transactions might fail on the network. This led to a broader discussion on the nature of developing applications on Solana, likening it to creating front-end only applications in Web 2.0.

Key Points:

Cross-Chain Solving Explained

Cross-chain solving is a complex process that involves meta-solving on top of true solvers on each blockchain. RockawayX's approach involves winning auctions on one chain and immediately sending users their funds, without waiting for transaction finality. This method requires careful management and execution, as it puts millions of dollars of capital at risk daily.

The simplicity of the concept belies the challenges involved in its implementation. Cross-chain solvers must navigate the intricacies of different blockchain protocols while ensuring speed, security, and efficiency in fund transfers.

Challenges in the Blockchain Ecosystem

Developing cross-chain solvers comes with a unique set of challenges. Kosina highlighted several "curveballs" that developers must contend with:

1. Unreliable DEX aggregators: Despite their importance, decentralized exchange aggregators cannot always be depended upon for accurate information or execution.
2. Liquidity concentration: Popular chains tend to accumulate liquidity, creating imbalances that are difficult to resolve efficiently.
3. Volatile rebalancing expenses: Rapid changes in exchange rates can make it challenging to price rebalancing costs accurately.
4. Developer mistakes: The complexity of multi-program systems means that errors are often only discovered in production, potentially leading to significant financial losses.

These challenges underscore the need for robust solutions and careful planning in the development of cross-chain solving systems.

Innovative Solutions by RockawayX

To address the challenges of cross-chain solving, RockawayX has developed several innovative solutions:

1. Plutus Signer: This is described as the "crown jewel" of RockawayX's architecture. It's a sophisticated signing system that secures millions of dollars on private keys by shattering them across multiple servers. The system includes a module that verifies each transaction before signing, significantly reducing the risk of incorrect signing.

2. Efficient Capital Replacement: RockawayX aims to achieve at least 5x efficiency with their capital. They've developed automated bots that scan every possible route through various protocols, accumulating liquidity on fast chains and distributing it from there. This approach prevents liquidity imbalance problems and maximizes capital efficiency.

3. Machine Gun Sender: To overcome the challenge of transaction landing on Solana, RockawayX created a system they call the "machine gun sender." This approach involves sending multiple transactions simultaneously, hoping for confirmation despite potential issues like networking problems, priority fees, or RPC node failures.

These solutions demonstrate RockawayX's commitment to overcoming the obstacles in cross-chain solving and their innovative approach to blockchain development.

Solana Development Challenges

Kosina drew an interesting parallel between developing applications on Solana and creating front-end only applications in Web 2.0. He noted that developers are often at the mercy of the blockchain's API, necessitating creative solutions and workarounds to achieve desired functionality.

This observation highlights the unique challenges of building on Solana and the need for more robust infrastructure and development tools. It also points to potential areas for improvement in the Solana ecosystem to make it more developer-friendly and efficient for complex applications like cross-chain solvers.

Facts + Figures

• RockawayX Labs has processed more than $1 billion in volume since shifting focus to cross-chain solvers
• They are the largest cross-chain solver on Mian, handling over 70% of the volume
• RockawayX aims to achieve at least 5x efficiency with their capital through automated liquidity management
• Plutus Signer, their key signing solution, secures millions of dollars on private keys
• The "machine gun sender" approach was developed to overcome transaction landing issues on Solana
• Cross-chain solving involves meta-solving on top of true solvers on each chain
• Developing on Solana is compared to creating front-end only applications in Web 2.0
• RockawayX is working on a new product called rockRPC to address Solana development challenges

Top quotes

1. "Cross-chain solving is basically meta-solving on top of the true solvers on each chain."
2. "We processed more than a billion dollars in volume and we worked with Mian, Warm Hall, where we are basically the largest cross-chain solver there."
3. "Crown Jewel of our architecture right now is something called Plutus Signer."
4. "The goal here is to achieve at least 5x efficiency with our capital."
5. "Developing applications on top of Solana programs is basically like developing front-end only applications in Web 2."

Questions Answered

What is cross-chain solving?

Cross-chain solving is a process of meta-solving on top of true solvers on different blockchains. It involves winning auctions on one chain, immediately sending users their funds without waiting for finality, and then settling with the protocol later. This approach allows for faster and more efficient cross-chain transactions but requires careful management of capital and risk.

How has RockawayX performed in the cross-chain solving space?

RockawayX has been highly successful in the cross-chain solving space. Since shifting their focus to this area, they have processed more than $1 billion in volume. They are currently the largest cross-chain solver on Mian, handling over 70% of the volume on that platform. This success demonstrates their effectiveness in developing and implementing cross-chain solving solutions.

What are the main challenges in developing cross-chain solvers?

The main challenges in developing cross-chain solvers include unreliable DEX aggregators, liquidity concentration issues, volatile rebalancing expenses, and the potential for costly developer mistakes. Additionally, transaction landing on certain blockchains like Solana can be problematic due to various factors such as networking issues, priority fees, and RPC node failures. These challenges require innovative solutions and careful system design to overcome.

What is Plutus Signer and how does it work?

Plutus Signer is RockawayX's sophisticated key signing solution, described as the "crown jewel" of their architecture. It secures millions of dollars on private keys by shattering them across multiple servers. The system includes a module that verifies each transaction before signing, significantly reducing the risk of incorrect signing. This approach allows for secure and automated transaction signing in a 24/7 operational environment without requiring constant human oversight.

How does RockawayX achieve capital efficiency in cross-chain solving?

RockawayX aims to achieve at least 5x efficiency with their capital through automated liquidity management. They use automated bots that scan every possible route through various protocols, accumulating liquidity on fast chains and distributing it from there. This approach prevents liquidity imbalance problems and allows them to maximize the use of their capital across different chains and protocols.

What is the "machine gun sender" approach and why is it necessary?

The "machine gun sender" approach is RockawayX's solution to the challenge of transaction landing on Solana. It involves sending multiple transactions simultaneously, hoping for confirmation despite potential issues like networking problems, priority fees, or RPC node failures. This approach is necessary because transactions on Solana can fail for various reasons, and sending multiple transactions increases the chances of at least one being confirmed successfully.

How does developing on Solana compare to traditional web development?

Developing applications on Solana is compared to creating front-end only applications in Web 2.0. This means that developers are often at the mercy of the blockchain's API, necessitating creative solutions and workarounds to achieve desired functionality. This comparison highlights the unique challenges of building on Solana and the need for more robust infrastructure and development tools to make it more developer-friendly for complex applications like cross-chain solvers.

What is rockRPC and how does it address Solana development challenges?

RockRPC is a new product being developed by RockawayX to address the challenges of developing on Solana. While specific details were not provided in the presentation, it is suggested that rockRPC aims to solve some of the issues developers face when interacting with Solana's infrastructure. This product could potentially provide more reliable and efficient ways to interact with the Solana blockchain, making it easier to build and deploy complex applications like cross-chain solvers.