'Soneium': Sony Unveils Public Blockchain With Singapore Web3 Firm Startale Labs

Sony has announced its own public blockchain, Soneium, with the help of Singapore-based Web3 firm Startale Labs.

The new layer-2 network built on Ethereum is set to go live on a test network in the coming days and will utilize optimistic roll-up technology that allows users to transact for cheaper.

Soneium will be developed with Optimism blockchain's ecosystem OP Stack, which allows developers to create their own networks using Optimism's technology. Coinbase's Base and Worldcoin's World Chain also used OP Stack.

Last year, Sony invested in Startale Labs, which is the founder of Astar Network. The Singapore joint venture, Sony Block Solution Labs, is owned 90% by Sony. Sota Watanabe serves as the CEO of Startale Labs and the director of Sony Block Solutions Labs.

Startale Labs said it will focus its efforts exclusively on Sonenium and move away from Astar zkEVM.

“Astar zkEVM will be integrating its assets and underlying infrastructure with Soneium,” Sony Block Solutions Labs said in a press release.

The “first year is all about onboarding Web3 people, because technology-wise and the community-wise, it is a little bit early to onboard the general users,” Watanabe said to Coindesk.

“And then phase two, within two years, we're going to onboard Sony products, such as, Sony Bank, Sony Music, Sony Pictures and so on. So we would like to integrate Web3 and blockchain technology into Sony's product. And in three years, we would like to onboard not only Sony, but also all enterprises and all general dapps on the top of it.”

“But this is a general timeline. We're going to try to onboard enterprises as many as possible from the first year."

The move follows Sony's acquisition of Amber Japan last month, which was part of the Japanese tech giant's attempts to diversify its portfolio. In March 2023, the $100 billion market cap firm applied for a patent to track in-game digital assets on a distributed ledger.