ZetaChain's community has voted to close its Cosmos-based blockchain and shift ZETA tokens to Solana. The project is turning to private AI, but key migration steps still need a second vote.
ZetaChain's main contributors have won strong support from the community to shut down the project's own blockchain and move its ZETA token to Solana. This is a rare case of a layer-1 network choosing to end its own chain. The decision was made on September 20, 2026, when the ZetaChain community passed Proposal 68. This proposal lays out the plan to withdraw the L1 network and migrate ZETA to Solana. The vote is advisory for now. It does not start the shutdown or migration right away, but it sets up a phased transition.
The on-chain vote ended with 263.65 million ZETA in favor, 744,658 against, and 752,300 abstaining. That's 99.4% support, with 58% turnout-well above the 40% quorum needed. The plan is to swap native ZETA for Solana-native SPL tokens at a 1:1 rate. The total supply will not change, and there will be no new tokens. ZETA on Ethereum and BNB Chain will not be part of this swap. Vesting schedules will stay the same.
ZetaChain2019s Proposal 68 passed with 99.4% support and a 58% voter turnout, setting a new benchmark for governance-driven blockchain migrations.
ZetaChain started as a way to connect Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. Now, the project is shifting to private AI, focusing on its Anuma platform. Contributors say running a Cosmos-based L1 has become too much work, especially as AI tools make it easier to find bugs and force constant security checks across many validators. By moving to Solana, ZetaChain plans to drop validator infrastructure and put its resources into AI products.
Anuma, the main AI app, is said to have over 300,000 users and more than 1 million requests across 35 AI models. These numbers mostly come from news summaries, not direct sources. Each Anuma account has a wallet, which could bring these users into the Solana ecosystem. ZetaChain says Solana's speed, low fees, and deep liquidity are a better fit for AI apps that need frequent payments or model calls. After the move, ZETA will stop being a proof-of-stake utility token and become an access token for AI services. Users will be able to lock ZETA for AI usage credits, which will take tokens out of circulation.
The migration depends on centralized exchanges. Core contributors say a second governance proposal will come only after exchanges confirm they are ready for the swap. That next vote will spell out withdrawal windows, snapshot and halt heights, Solana claim periods, and how exchange balances will be converted. Until those details are set and approved, ZetaChain's network will keep running and staking rewards will continue. The future of staking after the migration is still being discussed.
The initial governance vote was only the first step; a separate follow-up proposal is expected to clarify the snapshot, claim mechanics, exchange swap process, and the timeline for shutting down the L1 network. This staged approach aims to minimize user disruption and ensure exchange alignment.
Governance-driven pivots like this are not new in crypto. Cardano's treasury recently blocked funding for a Bitcoin DeFi project, which forced a change in plans, as reported earlier.
ZetaChain points to Solana's network stats: transaction confirmations around 400 milliseconds, over $15 billion in stablecoins, and about $70 billion in monthly decentralized-exchange volume. The team says these numbers show Solana is a strong base for AI-driven apps and payments. The migration will also change ZETA's decimals from 18 to 9. Any leftover fractions will be handled in the next proposal.
It's rare for a layer-1 blockchain to shut down by community vote. What happens next will depend on how exchanges, validators, and token holders react to the next governance round. Moving to Solana could make operations easier and open up a bigger trading market, but ZETA will lose its own blockchain and validator set. For users and developers, this move shows the trade-offs between running a custom network and using a high-speed chain like Solana for special apps.
When a blockchain project moves its token and users to another network, the technical and operational risks are real. Token holders need to watch migration windows, decimal changes, and exchange support to avoid losing access to their assets. Projects with validator infrastructure face extra steps, like working with exchanges, handling staking rewards, and protecting users during the switch. As more protocols look at similar moves, knowing how cross-chain migrations work will matter more for both users and developers.
