Input Output Research (IOR) hosted the June 2025 Cardano R&D Session in association with the Intersect Research Working Group as a thematic, livestreamed panel discussion on Layer 2 Expansion: Beyond Hydra.
The session welcome industry leaders from Anastasia Labs, zkFold SA, Eryx, and Sundae Labs to present their Cardano treasury proposals and join a round table panel discussion:
-
Sandro Coretti-Drayton, Research Fellow, Input | Output Research
-
Philip DiSarro, CEO, Anastasia Labs (Midgard)
-
Vladimir Sinyakov, Founder and CTO, zkFold SA (ZK Rollup)
-
Claro Lang, Dev Lead, Eryx (ZK Bridge)
-
Pi Lanningham, CTO, Sundae Labs (Gummiworm)
The event spotlighted a series of leading layer 2 (L2) innovations being developed across the Cardano ecosystem, exploring scaling solutions that extend far beyond the Hydra Head protocol.
While united by a common commitment to advancing Cardano’s performance and accessibility, the panelists reflected a broad spectrum of technical strategies showcasing the richness of innovation within the ecosystem and how Cardano’s foundational architecture—particularly its extended UTXO (EUTXO) model—can support a wide variety of layer 2 constructions.
‘Layer 2 Expansion: Beyond Hydra’ demonstrated that Cardano’s scaling future will not be defined by a single protocol but by a constellation of interoperable, specialized layer 2 solutions—each contributing distinct performance, privacy, and usability enhancements.
IOR and the Intersect Research Working Group remain committed to supporting this ecosystem-wide collaboration. With new protocols on the horizon and deeper partnerships forming, Cardano is well positioned to lead the next phase of decentralized, high-performance blockchain infrastructure.
For a write up and to watch the video recording, please visit the L2 Expansion: Beyond Hydra blog article on iohk.io.