Modular Blockchains, Data Availability, Interoperability with Avail

In this insightful episode of the Building Web3 podcast, host Jax Dwyer sits down with Anurag Arjun, co-founder of Avail and former founding team member of Polygon, to explore the cutting-edge innovations in the blockchain space. Anurag shares his personal journey, from entering the crypto world in 2017 to founding Polygon and eventually spinning out Avail as a standalone entity in 2020. They discuss how Avail is pioneering solutions in the areas of modular blockchains, data availability, and rollups, which are essential to scaling blockchain networks and enabling interoperability between different blockchain ecosystems.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
04:56 Modular Blockchains and the Need for Data Availability
07:11 Roll-Ups and Avail's Role in Ordering Transactions
10:45 Unique Selling Points of Avail
13:40 Developer Experience with Avail
16:01 Challenges and Growing the Web3 Industry
19:21 Web2 Companies and Blockchain Integration
22:36 Avail's Contribution to Web3 Adoption
24:20 Future Developments and Partnerships

The episode dives deep into the technical aspects of how blockchains have evolved, from the early days of Bitcoin and Ethereum to the rise of layer 1 blockchains like Binance Smart Chain, Solana, and others. Anurag explains why the traditional monolithic blockchain structure, where all functions are handled by a single layer, is no longer sufficient to support the growing demand for decentralized applications. Instead, the future lies in modular blockchains that separate key functions like data availability, consensus, and execution, allowing for greater scalability and flexibility.

Avail’s role in this transformation is crucial, as it provides a data availability layer that supports the scaling of rollups—layer 2 solutions that help process transactions more efficiently by “rolling them up” into a single batch before sending them to a layer 1 blockchain for finality. By partnering with major players like Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, StarkWare, and others, Avail is creating a scalable and interoperable infrastructure that can support the next generation of decentralized applications and blockchain networks.

For those unfamiliar with the technical details of modular blockchains, Anurag breaks down the essential components, such as ordering/consensus, execution, and finality, and explains how Avail fits into this structure by focusing on data availability and interoperability. He also discusses the current challenges in the blockchain space, including fragmentation of user experience and developer difficulties when building applications across multiple chains. Avail aims to solve these issues by providing a seamless experience for both users and developers, allowing projects to deploy on one chain and have their applications accessible across multiple chains without losing users or creating fragmented versions of their protocols.

Throughout the conversation, Jax and Anurag discuss the broader implications of Avail’s work and how it could impact the future of Web3. From growing adoption through partnerships with major players to enabling a more modular, multi-chain future, Avail is positioning itself as a critical piece of the Web3 puzzle. Anurag also touches on potential use cases for modular blockchain infrastructure, including tokenization of assets, identity, and data—fields that could see significant growth as more traditional enterprises begin exploring blockchain technology.