Cartesi Ecosystem Updates #4, 2025

Newsletter/May 9, 2025/Marketing Unit

Long before RISC-V became the hot topic of 2025, it was already at the heart of Cartesi’s protocol. Since 2018, Cartesi has chosen RISC-V as a foundational pillar, believing it to be the bridge between mainstream software development and decentralized systems.

As an open and modular instruction set, RISC-V supports deterministic execution, formal verification, and compatibility with battle-tested dev tools. It’s simple, adaptable, future-proof, and allows for operating systems to be run on top. It makes Cartesi not only backward compatible but also forward compatible. And unlike the Ethereum Virtual Machine, which forces developers to relearn even the most basic computing operations, RISC-V enables Cartesi to offer developers full Linux environments. That means decades of existing software tooling, libraries, compilers, and innovation, all suddenly usable in a blockchain context.

So when Vitalik Buterin proposed migrating Ethereum's execution environment toward RISC-V, Cartesi’s long-standing bet on this architecture suddenly felt validated, though driven by different motivations. Still, RISC-V isn’t just a better technical choice. It’s a strategic one, with the potential to standardize blockchain infrastructure.

As more blockchains converge on RISC-V, the benefits will compound. On this very premise of not reinventing the wheel and standing on the shoulders of giants, Cartesi has been building to this day. That brings us to a review of our latest updates from the past month. So, let’s dive in.

Tech

Stage 2 Rollups are getting closer, with the PRT fraud-proof honeypot app now live on Testnet! Efficiency tweaks are underway to get it fully operational, and once that’s done, you can bet it’ll be hitting Mainnet soon, inviting the community to try and outsmart PRT by breaking it.

Meanwhile, Rollups V2 continues to mature with several exciting alpha releases. A shoutout to all contributors testing the V2 alphas. This version introduces a multi-dApp Node architecture, which will significantly reduce costs. The team has also been refining the JSON-RPC API and Data Availability features to improve integration with Espresso, Avail, and more.

New snapshot capabilities for Node V2 are also in the works, allowing apps to periodically save state, making machines faster to start. And to top it off, the new Explorer for V2 Alpha is live, marking a significant update in the evolution of Cartesi tech.

On the Cartesi Coprocessor front, the team has released Cartesi Machine 0.19.0-alpha3, packed with several improvements, including a notable boost in speed. A major recent shift in EigenLayer is the introduction of Operator Sets, and we’ve successfully deployed a new version of the Coprocessor on Holesky to support them. We're fully prepared for slashing once it becomes available. Another important update: the Coprocessor CLI is now combined with the Cartesi CLI, streamlining the developer experience.

For the full Ecosystem Updates Call, watch it here.

Ecosystem

We have updates all the way from Brazil. Prof. Antonio Rocha from UFF is spearheading Cartesi initiatives with the students there: A machine unlearning model has already been deployed on the Cartesi Machine by one of them, as part of Cartesi Rollups being integrated into the RNP Brazilian Research Blockchain network. We’re genuinely excited about this opportunity to collaborate with universities. It’s a long-term investment in the future. It’s not just about supporting today’s developers; we also need to engage and inspire the developers of tomorrow.

When it comes to real-world use cases for Cartesi, this collaboration shows enormous potential. The Fluminense Federal University (UFF) and the local government in Brazil (Niterói Municipality) have been teaming up on a first proof of concept: a public transportation app for buses, with key components powered by Cartesi. What makes this especially meaningful is that end users won’t need to know the app is built on the blockchain; they’ll benefit from its attributes, accountability and verifiability, enhanced privacy and data protection without even needing any technical knowledge. Solving society's problems is the path to adoption, and Cartesi is well equipped to make it happen!

Drawing Canvas, the onchain platform for collaborative art and minting, is upgrading its infrastructure to the latest versions of Cartesi Rollups and Node. With performance testing now complete, the team is gearing up for a Testnet release. That means it won’t be long before we can all unleash our inner onchain artists. Follow them on X to stay up to date on the launch and more.

World Tycoon is reimagining the SimCity-style simulator for the crypto era, allowing players to build cities using a familiar game engine, now infused with real-world economics. They’ve recently completed their Cartesi Grants Program and have launched a working MVP in the browser, currently available to private testers. Want to get in early? As a reader of this blog, you get the alpha. Join World Tycoon’s Discord channel to take part in the playtest.

Cartesi Grants Program

Think&Dev Boardgame Framework, a project aiming to develop a boardgame.io inspired library to empower game devs to create turn-based board games, has completed milestones 3 and 4, which include: adding a lobby system for multiple match managing, integrated XMTP chat for in-game comms, and connected DRAND for onchain randomness. A big step in boosting scalability and enabling real-time interaction, which is key in gaming.

The RiscZero + Cartesi Integration Template and Documentation proposal by Michael Asiedu is coming along, with all RFP deliverables completed, including full documentation and template code available. We’re extremely excited about this project, as it enables Cartesi dApps to validate complex computations offchain using ZK proofs, without needing to rerun them. What this means for builders is that there’s a lower barrier to building privacy-preserving solutions, even more so with a step-by-step guide to verify your first zk-proof in Cartesi. Check it out here!

The Cartesi–Chainlink library has officially been accepted into Wave 2, and the team is leading the charge with in-depth research across both ecosystems to gain a deep understanding of each tech stack in order to design the cleanest, most effective way to integrate Cartesi dApps with Chainlink automation. For developers, this means they’ll soon be able to seamlessly implement advanced automation features, from time-based triggers and offchain verifiable computations to complex conditional logic, all within their Cartesi dApps.

Ready to build? Explore all available RFPs and find your new passion project. And if you need inspiration, all proposals are publicly listed here.

Not a developer yourself, but know someone who is? Refer them through the DevDrop Incentive Program and earn $500 in CTSI when they submit a proposal that gets successfully funded!

Developer Advocacy

At Cartesi, we take our documentation seriously. It’s the gateway to developer adoption. Clear, accessible docs and well-crafted guides are essential, and we’re committed to getting them right. Our amazing developer advocacy team understands this better than anyone, which is why they’ve begun a comprehensive revamp of the Cartesi documentation. They’re currently researching what can be improved, from tutorials to overall structure, all with the goal of helping developers better understand Cartesi and its products, including the Cartesi Machine, Cartesi Rollups, Dave, and the Cartesi Coprocessor.

They’ve updated the Rust and Go frameworks to be compatible with the new Node version, ensuring seamless integration with the Coprocessor. They’re also actively enhancing the Coprocessor tooling, refining everything to make it easier for developers to dive in and start exploring the Cartesi tech stack.

Two new episodes of the I Build, Therefore I am (Brain to Board) podcast have been uploaded. This month, we focused on our own ecosystem builders. João Garcia sat down with Shaheen Ahmed to talk about their app Comet, and Michael Asiedu to chat with us through the RiscZero + Cartesi integration. For a full list of all episodes, check it out here on the podcast page.

Community

Aside from fur logo trends and the International Penguin Day celebration, April has been a joyful month in the community. If you’re in the Cartesi Community Telegram, first of all, we love to see it. Second, we had a blast welcoming our AI companion, Plushie AI, trained on all things Cartesi! It even helped us host an Easter egg hunt with CTSI up for grabs. Huge thanks to everyone who joined in. Missed out? Join the Telegram to stay connected with fellow Cartesians, chat with Plushie, and catch more fun events like this.

On the regional communities side of things, and on the other side of the globe, over in Lviv, you could find Mykhailo chatting with devs about the possibilities of what can be done with Cartesi.

And how about the anon keeping Cartesi loud and meme-filled on X? Go show some love and give that Cartesian a follow. Or, if you’ve been hanging out on Warpcast lately, make sure you’re in the /cartesi channel and help us grow on Farcaster as well.

Upcoming Events

Coming up in Lisbon, our Developer Advocate Lead João Garcia will be at ETHLisbon from May 9 to 11 as a mentor, ready to collaborate with builders and share his insights.

Join us every Monday for a fresh Ecosystem Updates Call, and stay tuned for new episodes of the I Build, Therefore I Am podcast every two weeks.

For an overview, you can always check Cartesi’s public events calendar.