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- Base has launched the Azul upgrade on testnet, calling it the network’s first independent upgrade ahead of a planned mainnet rollout on May 13.
- The upgrade introduces a multiproof system combining TEE and zero-knowledge proofs, with the aim of advancing decentralization and speeding up withdrawal finality.
Base is moving its next technical upgrade into public view, and the message is fairly clear. The network wants to show it can evolve with more independent proof infrastructure while keeping one eye on speed and another on decentralization.
The Coinbase-incubated Layer 2 said its Azul upgrade is now live on testnet, marking what it described as its first independent network upgrade. Mainnet activation is currently planned for May 13, assuming testing goes as expected.
Azul introduces a new multiproof model
At the center of the upgrade is a multiproof system that combines trusted execution environment proofs with zero-knowledge proofs. That may sound technical, and it is, but the underlying logic is fairly practical. Base is trying to avoid reliance on a single proof path.
According to the team, either proof type can finalize a proposal on its own. If both agree, the system can reduce withdrawal finality to as little as one day. That matters because withdrawal timing remains one of the more visible user friction points on Layer 2 networks, especially when compared with the instant feel users expect elsewhere in crypto.
There is also a governance and trust angle built into the design. Base said that if the two proof types conflict, permissionless ZK proofs can override permissioned TEE proofs. In plain terms, that gives the more open system the final say.
The upgrade is also about decentralization optics
That override mechanism is important because Base, like other major rollups, has spent much of its life being judged not only on throughput and developer traction, but on how credibly it can decentralize over time.
Azul appears meant to push that conversation forward. The network is not abandoning TEEs, which are often faster and easier to operate in practice. But it is built in a structure where permissionless proofs hold higher authority when disagreements emerge.
The broader point is that Base is trying to make decentralization feel less like a distant roadmap promise and more like something visible in the protocol’s actual design choices. Whether the system performs cleanly under testnet conditions is now the immediate question. After that, the mainnet rollout will show whether Azul is just a meaningful engineering upgrade or the beginning of a more independent phase for the network.
