EigenLayer welcomes Google Cloud as a mainnet node operator

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In simple terms, Google Cloud has introduced the EigenLayer mainnet node operator, marking a major milestone for the restaking protocol and its associated community.

On April 10, Sam Padilla, who works as a web3 product manager and node operator at Google Cloud, posted on X and expressed his excitement about the successful launch of the mainnet for Eigen Layer, which he is part of the operating team for. Kudos to the EigenLayer team for achieving this milestone.

Thrilled to announce that the @googlecloud Eigen Layer mainnet is now live and operational! br> br> Kudos to the @eigenlayer team for a successful mainnet launch. br> br> Can’t wait to see what’s next!

— Sam Padilla (@theSamPadilla) April 9, 2024

Google Cloud was previously involved in EigenLayer’s “Operator Working Group,” collaborating with 65 other operators and individual stakers as mentioned by EigenLayer’s developer.

Google Cloud’s Google Cloud Web3 is presently serving as an operator for nodes on the Goerli testnet of EigenLayer, a platform where Ether (ETH) can be staked concurrently on multiple services. EigenLayer was launched for stakers back in June.

Meanwhile, security-enhancing operators and asset-delegating functions have only been available on the testnet up until now. The launch of Google Cloud’s mainnet operator represents a crucial milestone in bringing EigenLayer’s full vision to fruition.

Google Cloud, which is Google’s cloud computing platform, has been making progress in the world of Web3. Back in January 2022, Bloomberg reported that Google had established a new team dedicated to blockchain technology – marking Google Cloud’s entry into this emerging field.

Google Cloud unveiled the Blockchain Node Engine towards the end of the year, enabling developers to simplify the process of managing blockchain network nodes). Additionally, Google Cloud announced the commencement of its web3 startup program in April 2023.

Google Cloud expressed an early curiosity in staking, even before collaborating with EigenLayer in September. Notably, Google Cloud became a validator on Polygon but made a comparatively smaller investment amongst over 100 validators.

In October 2023, LayerZero, a cross-chain protocol, revealed that they had entered into a partnership with Google Cloud. As part of this collaboration, Google Cloud will serve as the primary oracle for validating transactions between different blockchains on behalf of LayerZero.

Some people are questioning the impact of Google Cloud joining the web3 world, fearing that its large-scale cloud computing capabilities could undermine the decentralized nature of this technology.

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2024-04-10 12:50