ZetaChain votes to shut down its blockchain and migrate ZETA to Solana for AI pivot

ZetaChain’s on‑chain governance has approved retiring its standalone blockchain and moving the ZETA token to Solana as the project pivots toward private AI applications.

Governance vote results

Proposal 68 concluded on September 20 with approximately 99.44% of ballots in favor. The on‑chain tally recorded 263.65 million ZETA voting for the migration, 744,658 against, and 752,300 abstaining, giving core contributors a clear mandate.

Reason for the shift

ZetaChain was founded in 2021 as a Cosmos SDK‑based layer‑1 designed to connect assets and contracts across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and other networks. Earlier this year the project began focusing on Anuma, a private multi‑model AI application built around a “Private Memory Layer.” Maintaining its own L1 now appears misaligned with that focus.

The governance proposal cited the operational burden of coordinating security advisories and patches across dozens of independent validators, a burden expected to grow as AI tools expose more vulnerabilities. Moving to Solana would replace the validator infrastructure, allowing contributors to concentrate on ZETA, Anuma and Solana development.

Benefits of Solana

• Fast transaction confirmation (~400 ms)
• Low fees
• Deep liquidity (over $15 billion of stablecoins on Solana)
• High monthly DEX volume (~$70 billion)

These attributes are deemed suitable for AI applications that may require frequent payments or model calls.

Token migration details

The migration will convert native ZETA balances on ZetaChain to a Solana‑native SPL token on a 1:1 basis, preserving total supply. Decimals will shift from 18 on ZetaChain to 9 on Solana, with fractional amounts rounded down. Existing vesting schedules remain unchanged, and ZETA held on Ethereum and BNB Chain are not covered by Proposal 68.

Next steps and exchange involvement

A second governance proposal will be submitted after centralized exchanges confirm how they will support the swap. That proposal will define the snapshot, shutdown block height, withdrawal window, and conversion mechanics for exchange‑held balances. Staking rewards will continue until the L1 shuts down, though the future of staking after migration remains under discussion.

Implications for the ecosystem

By moving to Solana, ZETA will transition from securing an independent proof‑of‑stake network to serving as an access token for ZetaChain’s AI products. Anuma already allows users to lock ZETA for AI credits, reducing circulating supply. The migration could bring Anuma’s 300,000+ users into the Solana ecosystem, potentially expanding the token’s utility and liquidity.