Mantle Network announced January 22 that it is moving its data availability layer from a Validium configuration to Ethereum blob transactions under EIP-4844, shifting toward a full ZK rollup architecture. Transaction data that previously relied on an off-chain arrangement backed by EigenLayer will now settle directly on Ethereum.
The change reduces Mantle's external data availability dependency and moves the network closer to Ethereum-native settlement. Mantle said the shift should shorten the withdrawal delay window and lower settlement costs, putting the network in the same ZK rollup category as zkSync Era and Scroll.
Why Mantle is changing its data layer
Mantle cited Ethereum's Fusaka upgrade as the enabling condition, saying it raised theoretical blob throughput by up to eight times. That made production-scale traffic through on-chain data availability viable for the first time, according to the network.
"This evolution is a natural progression for Mantle," said Joshua Cheong, Head of Product. "As Ethereum's blob infrastructure matures through milestones like the Fusaka upgrade, we are now able to support production-scale applications with the full security of Ethereum's data availability, without compromising on performance."
Mantle TVL and ZK rollup context
Mantle's TVL stood at $147,751,861 as of June 26, 2026. The architecture shift separates Mantle from Optimism and Base, which still run on the fault-proof model.
EigenLayer remains for verifiable compute
Mantle said it will keep its EigenLayer partnership active for cases that require verifiable compute, including perpetuals, prediction markets, and AI agent infrastructure. The announcement named no testnet date, mainnet activation window, or governance vote.