Ethereum R1 Launches as a New Neutral Rollup Solution Built by Independent Developers

A group of independent developers within the Ethereum ecosystem have launched Ethereum R1, a new layer-2 (L2) rollup solution, claiming to be “100% donation-funded” and designed to scale Ethereum while staying true to its core principles of decentralization, credible neutrality, and censorship resistance.

A group of independent developers within the Ethereum ecosystem have launched Ethereum R1, a new layer-2 (L2) rollup solution.

Announced via a detailed thread on X, Ethereum R1 does not have any token presale or venture capital involvement. The rollup is built using the Surge stack from Nethermind and code from Taiko, with a 1% base fee allocated to the Taiko DAO until 2030. It is currently open for donations that will sustain the initiative until 2030, after which all fees will be burned, ensuring a long-term alignment with Ethereum’s ethos as a public good.

The project enters Stage 2 from day one, enabling permissionless proving, long upgrade delays, and a broad community multisig for decentralized governance, as it was highlighted on the official website.

Introducing Ethereum R1 — The neutral rollup built for Ethereum ♻️

No token. No private sales. No governance cult.

Just Ethereum values, public funding, & community control.🧵 Why R1 matters & how you can join:

Many "L2s" today are new L1s in disguise—with tokens, private sales, and a handful of insiders dictating the chain's fate.

But general-purpose L2s should be commodities—simple, replaceable, and free from centralized dependencies or risky governance. L1s are the priority; L2s are the means.

Ethereum R1 is our answer to that call. It's a neutral rollup built entirely for the community and funded by donations.

We use the Surge stack from @NethermindEth and code from @0x_Taiko to create a rollup with:

• A 1% base fee allocated to the Taiko DAO until 2030 to sustain the initiative.

• Stage 2 from day one: permissionless proving, long upgrade delays, and a broad community multisig for governance.

It's a vision for sustainable L2s that aligns with L1's values.

Join the discussion on Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/Rg4LYGr4LY80MzI1

Contribute on GitHub: https://github.com/ethereum-r1/r1-monorepo

Learn more: https://r1.io/

The launch comes as several existing L2s are rapidly expanding, but many critics note that they are quickly accruing power in the ecosystem.

As new L1s face difficulties in launching, these L2s are effectively becoming the primary layer in the ecosystem, yet they are largely controlled by a small number of insiders who decide the chain's fate.

However, Ethereum R1 does not have any token and is focused on remaining neutral. The project is funded by donations and does not accept any venture capital. It is also fully open-source and welcomes contributors to join the discussion on Telegram, the Magician Forum, and the official Discord. For those interested in contributing code, the full source code is available on GitHub.