Rune Christensen’s Proposal to Utilize Solana’s Codebase

Rune Christensen, co-founder of MakerDAO, has proposed a groundbreaking proposal to develop MakerDAO’s upcoming native chain. This proposed chain, referred to as “NewChain,” is a crucial component of the final phase of MakerDAO’s “Endgame” upgrade, which was introduced in May.

Despite MakerDAO’s long-standing association with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), Christensen’s proposal suggests building NewChain based on a fork of Solana’s codebase, rather than the EVM. This decision marks a significant divergence from its Ethereum roots and could reshape the trajectory of the decentralized finance (DeFi) project.

The fifth and final phase of the MakerDAO “Endgame” upgrade entails the complete re-implementation of the Maker Protocol into a standalone blockchain, a process anticipated to span approximately three years. In a Twitter post dated September 1, Christensen revealed his inclination toward the Solana codebase for NewChain.

Choosing Solana for MakerDAO’s Upcoming Native Chain

In the proposal presented on the MakerDAO forum, Christensen elaborated on three key reasons why he believes Solana’s codebase is the most suitable foundation for NewChain’s development.

Firstly, he highlighted Solana’s “technical quality,” emphasizing its optimization for efficient blockchain operation. Christensen noted that Solana’s codebase benefits from being engineered after blockchain challenges and bottlenecks were well understood, aligning with NewChain’s objective of addressing technical debt.

Secondly, Christensen pointed to Solana’s resilience, noting its ability to withstand challenges, including the FTX incident. This resilience, coupled with the Solana ecosystem’s pool of talented individuals available for collaboration, makes it an attractive option for building and maintaining NewChain.

Lastly, Christensen cited the adaptability of the Solana codebase for appchains. Given its track record of successful forks and adaptations, MakerDAO could leverage a similar process to create NewChain.

Christensen also addressed inquiries on Twitter regarding his choice of Solana over the Ethereum Virtual Machine. While he acknowledged the significance of the EVM for user-oriented applications, he explained that it does not align with the specific backend requirements of MakerDAO’s NewChain.

NewChain’s primary purpose will be to support the project’s SubDAO tokenomics and governance security. However, Maker’s governance token, Maker ($MKR), and its stablecoin, Dai ($DAI), will continue to operate as usual on the Ethereum network.

In essence, Rune Christensen’s proposal to adopt Solana’s codebase for MakerDAO’s NewChain reflects a strategic move to ensure technical excellence, long-term viability, and efficiency in the development of the project’s native chain, heralding a new era for MakerDAO within the evolving landscape of decentralized finance.