Google Cloud has joined EigenLayer’s “Operator Working Group,” along with more than 65 other operators and solo stakers, a representative from EigenLabs, the developer behind EigenLayer, told Blockworks.
Google Cloud Web3 now appears as a node operator on the Goerli testnet for EigenLayer – a re-recording protocol that allows ether (ETH) to be deployed on multiple platforms simultaneously. Google Cloud confirmed the cloud computing service’s participation in EigenLayer’s testnet in an email to Blockworks.
Google Cloud declined to comment on whether it plans to move to EigenLayer’s mainnet or if the protocol would be added to Google Cloud’s Blockchain Node Engine.
EigenLabs also could not confirm whether Google Cloud would remain as the node operator once the node operation moves to the mainnet. Representatives said they expect Google Cloud support to continue as the goal of testnet is to prepare for mainnet.
EigenLayer went live in June for stakers, who earn rewards by locking in their staked ether. Operators, which improve security and allow stakers to delegate assets, are still in the testnet.
EigenLayer has said it expects the mainnet deployment to happen in the first half of 2024.
Google Cloud, the cloud computing service offered by Google, has been steadily moving toward Web3 since Bloomberg first reported that Google had created a blockchain division in January 2022.
Later that year, Google Cloud released the Blockchain Node Engine, a service aimed at making it easier for developers to run blockchain network nodes. Google Cloud launched a web3 launcher in April 2023.
Google Cloud expressed interest in staking before the EigenLayer integration and became a Polygon validator in September. However, the tech giant’s investment was minimal: Google Cloud has the second smallest deployment of more than 100 validators.
The cross-chain protocol LayerZero partnered with Google Cloud in September 2023, with the company becoming LayerZero’s default oracle for verifying transactions between blockchains.
Google Cloud’s move to Web3 has not been without controversy, with some seeing the giant cloud computing service’s presence as an attack on decentralization.