Sophon, an entertainment-focused zkSync Hyperchain, has secured $60 million worth of Wrapped Ether (wETH) through its node sale.The funding will be used to launch Sophon, an artificial intelligence (AI) and gaming-focused ecosystem built as a modular rollup leveraging zero knowledge (ZK) technology, aiming to launch in the third quarter of 2024. The $60 million node sale is considered high for an emerging project. Part of the node sale’s success can be attributed to the need for reliable infrastructure for entertainment-focused use cases such as gaming and AI, according to Seb, the co-founder of Sophon.Seb told Cointelegraph:Both gaming and AI protocols are reliant on robust infrastructure to accommodate user demand and the high amount of microtransactions associated with these use cases. Seb added:The node sale offered a total of 200,000 nodes for purchase and came in addition to Sophon’s recent $10 million funding round led by prominent investors, including Paper Ventures and Maven 11, with participation from Spartan, SevenX and OKX Ventures.Related: Trader loses 7-figure sum due to 0L Network hard forkIncoming airdrops for Sophon node holdersBeyond just raising capital, the recent node sales aimed to create a foundational community of holders that can expect airdrops and other valuable rewards in the future. Seb explained:Airdrops are a popular way to attract new users to early-stage decentralized finance (DeFI) protocols. It involves issuing new tokens to early users who previously interacted with a protocol.Through its future incentives, Sophon aims to build a strong community of builders and enthusiasts, that could amplify the network effects of projects building on the protocol. Seb added:Related: Solana could flip Ethereum in transaction fees within a week: Report
