Base Activates Azul Upgrade on Ethereum L2 Mainnet
Base has activated its Azul upgrade on Ethereum L2 mainnet, introducing multiproof security and new decentralization features. The upgrade marks a significant milestone for Base, which departed Optimism's Superchain in April 2026. With Azul, the network advances toward Stage 2 decentralization.
The multiproof system pairs trusted execution environment (TEE) proofs with zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to reduce reliance on any single proof type. Either proof type can finalize a proposal independently, but when both agree, withdrawal finality can be as little as one day. Permissionless ZK proofs can also override permissioned TEE proofs in the event of a conflict.
Azul also consolidates Base onto a single execution client and introduces base-consensus, a new consensus client built on OP Kona. This has driven a roughly 99% reduction in empty blocks from approximately 200 per day to around two per day, and has sustained multiple bursts of 5,000 transactions per second.
The upgrade adds the CLZ opcode and aligns Base with Ethereum's Osaka execution-layer repricing specifications. Node operators running op-node, op-geth, nethermind, or kona must migrate to the new clients. Base enters the Azul era as one of the largest ETH scaling networks by deposits, holding approximately $4.4 billion in total value locked (TVL) as of late May.