Shardeum has officially launched its mainnet after a successful testnet phase that attracted a record-breaking 1.4 million participants from around the world. This set a new benchmark for the number of validator nodes on a Layer 1 testnet.
The EVM-based autoscaling network recently announced the release of its mainnet after a slight delay. During the testnet phase, over 171,000 physically-run public validator nodes were generated, marking the highest number ever seen on a Layer 1 testnet.
The mainnet aims to address the scalability trilemma by allowing users and developers to maintain decentralization, scalability, and affordability simultaneously. Its unique shard-like approach enables transaction validation to run in parallel, starting with 256 validators forming two shards at genesis.
One of the mainnet’s key features is the ability to run nodes in under a minute with a single-command install, without the need for heavy hardware or a large stake. Additionally, gas fees are kept as low as $0.01, even during high network congestion.
Industry players such as PrimeVault, Mintair, and Tokensoft are set to support the mainnet at launch, along with over 60 open repositories and an innovative validator accountability system.
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Shardeum’s token distribution
Alongside the mainnet launch, Shardeum will introduce its native token, SHM, with a total circulating supply of 249 million tokens. The tokenomics allocate 36.72% to the community token sale, 30.6% to the team with a vesting timeline, and percentages to the foundation, ecosystem, and airdrop distribution.
SHM is anticipated to be listed on major exchanges like BitMart, CoinW, and MEXC, while the mainnet will integrate with EVM-supporting wallets such as MetaMask, OKX Wallet, and Trust Wallet.
Shardeum’s CTO, Srini Parthasarathy, views the mainnet launch as a significant technical achievement and a solution to the blockchain trilemma. He believes Shardeum will pave the way for the next generation of Web3 applications.
Looking ahead, developers are expected to test smart-contract functionality in the latter half of 2025, followed by stable dApp deployments. The mainnet’s launch was initially scheduled for April 15 but was postponed to May due to market conditions.
Read more: Shardeum layer 1 confirms its token will launch on May 5 after multiple delays