Solana infrastructure company Helius acquires Light Protocol to advance on-chain privacy infrastructure

Solana infrastructure company Helius announced the acquisition of Light Protocol, whose team will refocus on the development of Solana privacy solutions. Light Protocol was established in 2021, initially focusing on zero-knowledge proof-based Solana privacy tools, and later shifted to co-developing ZK Compression with Helius. This solution is set to launch in 2024, aiming to reduce data storage costs on the Solana chain through zero-knowledge proofs, supporting large-scale consumer and enterprise applications.

This acquisition will drive Light back to its original mission, combining its cryptographic capabilities with Helius's infrastructure and distribution advantages to develop ZK privacy protocols for Solana, covering scenarios such as private payments and private DeFi. Helius plans to open the relevant privacy infrastructure to developers in the coming months. This transaction occurs against the backdrop of accelerated consolidation in the crypto industry and a tightening financing environment, while also reflecting the rising demand for on-chain privacy. Helius founder Mert Mumtaz stated that privacy will become an important foundation for blockchain scaling, just as HTTPS did for the internet.