In the newly released video titled “Next Steps for Hydra,” Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson outlined the trajectory of Hydra’s scaling solution and provided insight into how independent companies will soon drive fresh changes in the ecosystem. The announcement comes shortly before the official end of the Hydra Doom initiative, which will take place on January 20 in Las Vegas.
Next steps for Cardano’s hydra
According to Hoskinson, Hydra Doom was launched last year to demonstrate Hydra’s capabilities in extreme environments. He explained the rationale for using a classic video game as a testing ground: “We chose a video game because video games are ubiquitously understandable, and also video games, historically speaking, have always pushed the boundaries of what computers can do.”
By turning each frame into a trade and enabling multiplayer competition, the Hydra Doom setup tested Hydra’s performance and resiliency in a “Byzantine environment.” Hoskinson noted that this Hydra environment “stress-tested” both the hardware requirements and the behavior of players who had a robust incentive to cheat based on game theory.
“The Hydra Doom program was a huge success. It brought many partners together and inspired many people to invest and build the Hydra ecosystem.”
The Hydra Doom tournament, which concludes on January 20 in Las Vegas, will feature a winner determined through a merit-based competition. While Hoskinson expressed some sadness at the end of the initiative, he emphasized excitement for the next phase of Hydra’s development.
As Hydra Doom comes to an end, Hydra’s development enters what Hoskinson called “the next stage of its evolution.” He highlighted that companies like Anastasia and Sunday Labs are already building their own Hydra infrastructure, specifically referencing the Midgard and Gummy Worm protocols:
“We’re going to invite them to the IO innovation group and put them through at least three to six months of R&D prototyping so that things like the Midgard and Gummy Worm protocols, built by Anastasia and Sunday respectively, can start making their way into production Cardano applications.”
Hoskinson cited additional areas of Hydra research and implementation, including “direct communications, introducing zero technologies to Hydra warheads, [and] Hydra Tail Protocol. He emphasized that Cardano’s approach to scaling is iterative, pointing out that each year will bring improvements rather than one “magic” milestone.
The Hydra solution, which Hoskinson described as a “hidden gem,” is already in apply. Output Output (IO), the software development company behind Cardano, has found the technology invaluable in reducing costs for projects like Midnight and Glacier Drop. Meanwhile, external projects continue to explore Hydra’s potential for gaming, micropayments, decentralized exchanges (DEX) and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications:
“We hope to see these things integrated into DEX and DeFi experiences, micropayments and gaming.” Hoskinson further described Hydra’s synergy with other upcoming scalability approaches: “It’s a complementary scalability solution to the likes of ZK Fold, like Partner Chains and Ouroboros Leios.”
He also outlined a long-term plan to integrate zero-knowledge proofs and cross-chain technologies in Hydra, which is in line with Cardano’s broader goal of achieving “all of the above scalability menu.”
Reflecting on the future, Hoskinson reiterated that Hydra remains crucial to Cardano’s evolution as the blockchain project enters fresh eras: “When we look at the next three, five to ten years, we will see us moving in this direction as a complementary solution scalable to what has already been achieved with Cardano today and what will be achieved as we enter the Leios era and the era of zero knowledge and peer chains.”
While the Hydra Doom tournament finals will mark the end of the current phase, it appears its legacy could impact Cardano’s growth plan for years to come. Hoskinson expressed optimism about practical, real-world mainnet integrations, saying that while it’s “early stages,” they represent a key step in unlocking Hydra’s true potential.
“Hydra Doom really showed her capabilities. So it’s sad to see it come to an end… but I’m excited to see the next generation where we take this to the next level and showcase it in real applications on the Cardano blockchain on the mainnet.”
At the time of publication, ADA was trading at $0.91.
Featured image from YouTube, chart from TradingView.com