DoubleZero

DoubleZero is a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) building a private, high-performance global fiber-optic backbone optimized for blockchain validators and distributed systems. Where the public internet introduces unpredictable latency and spam floods, DoubleZero routes validator traffic through dedicated fiber links and purpose-built filtering hardware, delivering the kind of low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity that Wall Street trading desks have used for decades—now made permissionless and accessible to any blockchain participant.

The Problem

High-performance blockchains like Solana are increasingly constrained not by computation but by network fundamentals: bandwidth limitations and latency variation between validators. On the public internet, nodes must process enormous volumes of duplicate transactions and spam before reaching valid consensus messages, burning CPU cycles that could otherwise go toward block production. Geographical routing inefficiencies add unpredictable jitter that slows block propagation. DoubleZero targets both problems simultaneously with a hardware-enforced infrastructure layer sitting below the application stack.

How the Network Works

DoubleZero implements a two-ring architecture. The outer filter ring interfaces with the public internet, using commercially available Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) deployed at key ingress points. These devices perform packet deduplication, spam removal, and signature verification at throughputs that individual validators cannot match—reportedly handling up to one million transactions per second with near-zero added latency. Traffic that passes the outer ring's filters flows into the inner ring: dedicated private fiber links operated by permissionless contributors that carry clean, validated messages between nodes.

Connectivity within metro areas happens through DoubleZero Exchange Points (DZXs), geographic hubs that function analogously to public internet exchange points but serve only permissioned network participants. These DZXs aggregate fiber from multiple data centers within a city, while terrestrial and subsea cables provide inter-city and intercontinental links. The protocol calls this architecture the N1 protocol—a re-engineering of OSI layers 1, 2, and 3 as neutral, permissionless infrastructure.

Network relationships are managed by on-chain smart contracts. Contributors register their fiber links by encoding service-level agreements—specifying endpoint locations, bandwidth, latency targets, and MTU size—into contracts on Solana. The protocol monitors real-time compliance, rewarding links that meet their commitments and removing those that do not. Users can subscribe to predefined service tiers or author custom routing contracts for specific needs.

DoubleZero Edge

Before the full fiber network reached mainnet, DoubleZero launched DoubleZero Edge in public beta. Edge delivers raw Solana block data—the "shreds" that make up each block—through the private global fiber network rather than standard internet routing, using multicast distribution. Under normal conditions Edge delivers shreds approximately 6 milliseconds faster than public internet routing; during network congestion, that advantage grows to 20–100 or more milliseconds depending on geography. The public beta launched with 350 data publishers, including major Solana infrastructure providers such as Jito, Temporal, Staking Facilities, and Triton. Validators earn supplementary revenue by publishing data through Edge; traders access the feed by paying subscriptions in USDC.

Network Participants

Contributors are companies or individuals that own or lease underutilized dark fiber and commit it to the DoubleZero mesh. Early contributors include Jump Crypto, Galaxy, RockawayX, Latitude, and Teraswitch. Contributors earn 2Z token rewards proportional to the utility their links deliver.

Users are validators, RPC providers, MEV infrastructure operators, and Layer 2 sequencers. Access fees are set at 5% of a validator's operations revenue from inflation and block rewards—explicitly excluding MEV—giving fee payers a predictable cost model tied to their actual earnings rather than a flat subscription. Authentication uses public key verification against the respective blockchain ledger.

2Z Token

The 2Z token is a Solana SPL token with a maximum supply of 10 billion. Its primary functions are paying for network access, rewarding contributors, and (in future phases) enabling security staking and delegation. The token distribution at launch was: Foundation and Ecosystem 29%, Jump Crypto 28%, Malbec Labs 14%, Team 10%, Institutions 12%, Contributors 4%, Builders 2%, and Validators 1%. Most allocations vest over four years. A validator sale through CoinList offered up to 150 million tokens (1.5% of supply) to accredited US investors and non-US participants, with US purchasers subject to a one-year cliff.

DoubleZero obtained a no-action letter from the SEC's Division of Corporate Finance in September 2025—a regulatory milestone that allowed the token distribution to proceed. Mainnet-beta and the 2Z token launched in October 2025 with 22% of staked SOL already participating. Phase II of the Delegation Program is scheduled to begin in March 2026. As of October 2025, approximately 3.47 billion tokens were in circulation with a market cap of roughly $1.38 billion.

Team and Backers

DoubleZero was founded by Austin Federa, Andrew McConnell, and Matteo Ward. Federa served as Head of Strategy at the Solana Foundation before co-founding DoubleZero and serves as CEO. McConnell, who previously led US trading infrastructure at Jump Crypto, serves as CTO and co-leads Malbec Labs, the project's core engineering contributor. Ward, who was CEO of Neutrona Networks and has decades of experience deploying fiber infrastructure across the Americas, contributes deep domain expertise in physical network buildout. Firedancer—the Jump Crypto-developed Solana validator client—is the other core contributor team.

In March 2025, DoubleZero raised $28 million at a $400 million valuation in a round led by Dragonfly Capital and Multicoin Capital, with participation from Solana co-founders. Reports at the time indicated the foundation was also seeking strategic partners in an additional round at a $600 million valuation.

Solana Ecosystem Fit

DoubleZero is built on Solana and its initial focus is entirely Solana-native. The testnet launched in seven cities globally; mainnet-beta launched in October 2025 with ten additional metro areas planned. The network supports both Agave and Frankendancer validator clients, and its IBRL (Increase Bandwidth, Reduce Latency) motto became a rallying phrase in the Solana validator community. DoubleZero addresses one of the most fundamental constraints on Solana's throughput ceiling: the reality that at high transaction volumes, the bottleneck is no longer CPU cycles but the speed and cleanliness of the network itself. The roadmap includes expansion beyond Solana to additional blockchains, centralized exchanges, and prediction markets.