Additions to Ethereum Node Operator Set - Wave 5 (Stage 1)

KimonSh (Will) -

During July 2023, the Lido DAO voted to accept two new Ethereum node operators to join the Lido on Ethereum Node Operator set.

 

The Snapshot vote to onboard Launchnodes and SenseiNode reflects the Stage 1 shortlist that the Lido Node Operator Subgovernance Group (LNOSG) suggested to the DAO following the Stage 1 evaluation meeting.

 

A total of 116 applications were submitted across the two stages of the Lido on Ethereum Wave 5 Onboarding round.

 

During Stage 1, 14 return-applicants that had previously received high scores by the LNOSG evaluation committee re-applied and were evaluated. The LNOSG suggested that two Node Operators be onboarded during Stage 1 to further diversify stake inflows to the protocol, and to consider the remainder of the Stage 1 candidates during the Stage 2 evaluation.

 

The Stage 2 evaluation process is ongoing through the month of August, with another LNOSG evaluation meeting scheduled for the final week of the month. During the first evaluation meeting, the committee discussed onboarding between 7 - 9 new Node Operators across the entire Wave 5 Onboarding round. It is important to note that the LNOSG only suggests the shortlist to the DAO, which has final say to accept, modify, or deny any suggestion the LNOSG presents.

 

Stage 1 Candidates

The two new Node Operators currently participating in the onboarding process will both contribute to the decentralization and distribution of validators of the Lido protocol across a number of factors. Based on their applications these Node Operators are expected to utilize minority Execution Layer and Consensus Layer clients, operate validators out of under-represented geos (Latin America and Africa), and operate their infrastructure out of local data centers.

 

These Node Operators are currently operating through the Lido Node Operator Registry on the Goerli testnet to appropriately configure their infrastructure setups for a mainnet deployment. To learn more about the onboarding process, visit the Node Operators section of the Lido docs.

 

Launchnodes

Launchnodes provides an orchestration layer that enables enterprises and individuals to solo stake Ethereum at scale, on infrastructure that they own. Founded in 2020, Launchnodes has helped businesses and organizations to run secure, resilient solo staking architectures on bare metal and public cloud. The team consists of experienced builders and engineers, operating globally.

Working with UNICEF (to pay for school internet connectivity) and Save The Children (funding tablets for refugee camps), Launchnodes has established working examples of Impact Staking initiatives. This involves using staking returns to fund long term social impact in developing countries. A percentage of Launchnodes’ profits will be donated to Impact Staking initiatives.

Launchnodes will continue to support decentralization across the Ethereum network and Lido ecosystem through its promotion of minority clients and under served geographic locations in Africa and Asia.

- Jaydeep Korde, CEO

 

SenseiNode

SenseiNode is the first blockchain infrastructure provider in Latin America, facilitating access to blockchain services with industry-level availability to organizations around the world.

SenseiNode deploys and manages nodes on leading PoS protocols, relying on distributed infrastructure in local, regional and global hosting providers, increasing decentralization across multiple jurisdictions.

We're thrilled to join Lido. We believe that our diversified infrastructure and presence across multiple jurisdictions will increase Lido’s decentralization, improving the ecosystem resiliency.

- Pablo Larguia, CEO

 

Next Steps

Should the on-chain Aragon vote planned for August 8th - 11th pass successfully, both Node Operators would be able to operate mainnet validators as a part of the Lido on Ethereum Node Operator set by the end of August.

 

Node Operators that have applied for the onboarding round should expect to hear back regarding next steps and updates regarding the Stage 2 evaluation process over the coming weeks. The Stage 2 shortlist is expected to be posted to the Lido Research Forum onboarding thread during the final week of August.