Gnosis Chain transitions to Ethereum rollup, retiring its 100,000-node validator set

Gnosis Chain is abandoning life as an independent Layer 1 blockchain. The network is converting into a zero-knowledge rollup settled on Ethereum, effectively handing its security responsibilities to Ethereum’s validator set and retiring its own consensus infrastructure in the process. The decision, formalized through Gnosis Improvement Proposal 153, passed its Snapshot vote with 99.78% support and quorum met. What’s actually changing Gnosis Chain currently operates its own Proof-of-Stake consensus layer, a validator set that grew to more than 100,000 nodes after the network’s PoS transition in December 2022. Under the new architecture, all of that infrastructure gets retired. Block production and sequencing shift to Ethereum validators, while Gnosis maintains its own execution environment. The practical details should feel familiar to anyone who’s used the chain. xDAI remains the gas token. Chain state and addresses carry over. EVM compatibility stays intact. GIP-153 was proposed on July 22, 2026, with voting running from August 12 through August 19. The phased implementation is expected to begin late in 2026. The 350,000 GNO unlock For GNO holders, the most immediate consequence i...