TheBlock
Ethereum Layer 2 network Ink is upgrading to OP Enterprise Fully Managed under a multi-year partnership with Optimism. Under the deal, Optimism will operate Ink's production infrastructure while the Ink Foundation shifts focus to ecosystem development and new financial products.
Why it matters
Ink launched under Kraken's incubation arm and has been positioning as a consumer-facing L2 on the OP Stack. Outsourcing production infrastructure to Optimism's enterprise tier lets the Ink team redeploy engineering capacity toward distribution, app onboarding, and product rather than running validators, sequencers, and node operations in-house. For Optimism, locking a Kraken-affiliated chain onto OP Enterprise Fully Managed is a marquee reference customer at the high end of the stack.
Market impact
The arrangement signals continued consolidation around the OP Stack at the institutional L2 tier, where chains want the Superchain interoperability pitch without absorbing the operational load themselves. Watch for Ink product launches and partnership announcements as the next read on whether the freed-up capacity translates into shipped financial primitives.
Frequently asked questions
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What is the Ink and Optimism partnership?
Ethereum Layer 2 network Ink is upgrading to Optimism's OP Enterprise Fully Managed tier under a multi-year deal. Optimism will run Ink's production infrastructure while the Ink Foundation focuses on ecosystem growth and new financial products.
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What is OP Enterprise Fully Managed?
OP Enterprise Fully Managed is Optimism's top infrastructure tier, in which the Optimism team operates the chain's production stack, including validators, sequencers, and nodes, on behalf of the customer chain.
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Who launched Ink?
Ink is an Ethereum Layer 2 incubated by Kraken. It is built on the OP Stack and has been positioning as a consumer-facing L2 within the Optimism Superchain.
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Why is the deal significant for Optimism?
Anchoring a Kraken-affiliated chain onto OP Enterprise Fully Managed gives Optimism a marquee reference customer at the high end of its stack and reinforces the Superchain interoperability pitch to other institutional L2s.
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What happens to Ink's team under the new arrangement?
With Optimism handling production infrastructure, the Ink Foundation can redeploy engineering capacity toward ecosystem development, app onboarding, and new financial products rather than running validators and nodes in-house.
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