Quick Recap of Fundamentals:

Data Sublayer (DSL) - To put it simply, RSS3 DSL handles all data processing which goes through a network of nodes that structure and aggregate decentralized data. RSS3’s beta mainnet upgrade introduced Public Good Node and Public Good Pool, where anyone can provide their own contributions for a greater good. Public Good Nodes will handle data indexing and structuring as well as responding to queries for Open Information.

Value Sublayer (VSL) - RSS3 VSL is a Layer 2 built with altered Optimism Stack. It’s an ecosystem leveraging Open Data processed by the DSL, Near DA and Nuffle Fast Finality Layer. By approaching the architecture through a modular solution, VSL would allow for better user experience as well as developer experience on deploying AI, social and search dApps.

Why Data Availability?

NFFL (Nuffle Fast Finality Layer) complements NEAR DA by providing rapid settlement finality across multiple chains. This innovative solution leverages EigenLayer's restaked ETH to create a secure, fast finality layer for rollups.

By integrating NFFL, RSS3 VSL can achieve near-instant finality without waiting for the typical confirmation times of the underlying Layer 1. This means transactions on RSS3 VSL can be considered final and irreversible much faster, enhancing the user experience for time-sensitive applications like AI-driven games or real-time social interactions.

According to Numia Analysis’ cost estimation tool, up to $60M+ of cost savings can be achieved by simply introducing a DA Layer to the Layer 2 instead of submitting rollups to the L1 through its native smart contracts.

We wanted to build the VSL Layer as a robust ecosystem that would foster dApps that leverage Open Information especially those that require large amounts of micro transactions such as high-performance AI-DApps (Artificial Intelligence decentralized applications), hence the decision to introduce a Data Availability Layer. Ref: Numia Analysis data publishing by 0xkofi Rollup Economics (dune.com)

Why NEAR DA and NFFL

In case you missed it, RSS3 has been exploring different solutions for the choice of DA for the VSL. See forum post here. RSS3’s research and development team has been testing in pre-production to find the most suitable DA Layer solution in terms of performance, costs, and developer efficiency. You can check some of the nerdy data below. 👇

After research and discussion with community, we decided to go with NEAR DA and NFFL. NEAR DA approximates a huge blob space of 4,096kb per transaction, which is particularly advantageous for AI projects that need to handle large amounts of data to scale users.
As a data layer focusing on Open AI and Social, our DA solution needs to be able to support:

• AI NPCs for Games require plenty of microtransactions;
• AI Agents that require a lot of data for training and analysis;
• Social Platforms with numerous interactions.

Since integration, RSS3 VSL’s average transaction fee has been consistently below 0.00003 $RSS3 even during network traffic. It seems like we have made a good decision and the journey with the Nuffle and Near team has been very professional and constructive.