The Birth of ‘NewChain’ in MakerDAO’s Endgame Upgrade
The creation of a native chain referred to as ‘NewChain’ is a significant component of MakerDAO’s Endgame upgrade. This plan, which was unveiled in May of this year, envisions transforming the Maker Protocol into a fully-fledged blockchain network.
On September 1st, 2023, Christensen took to Twitter to emphasize the proposal, stating, “After conducting research, I am of the opinion that the Solana codebase should serve as the foundation for NewChain.”
Why Solana’s Codebase Was Chosen
Within the MakerDAO forum proposal, Christensen highlighted three compelling reasons for selecting Solana’s codebase as the cornerstone for NewChain:
- MakerDAO Co-founder Finds Solana More Compatible: Christensen noted the “exceptional technical prowess” of Solana’s codebase, emphasizing its finely-tuned design for efficient single blockchain management. He believes that Solana’s codebase, developed after the complexities of blockchain technology were well-understood, aligns seamlessly with NewChain’s goal of addressing technical shortcomings within Maker.
- Durability of Solana Ecosystem: Christensen argued that the Solana ecosystem has proven its resilience by withstanding challenges like the FTX incident and other adversities without collapsing. He proposed that Solana’s ecosystem is well-positioned for long-term sustainability, offering access to a highly skilled talent pool for MakerDAO to collaborate with and a cost-effective avenue for developing and maintaining NewChain.
- Flexibility of Solana Codebase: Christensen pointed out that there are existing instances of the Solana codebase being forked and modified to function as application chains. He suggested that MakerDAO could employ a similar approach in creating NewChain, leveraging the flexibility of Solana’s codebase.
Christensen acknowledged the significance of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) for creating user-centric applications due to its large user base but stated that it doesn’t align with MakerDAO’s specific backend requirements.