Cuckoo Chain began as an audacious bet: that a small team and a global community could prove on-chain AI workloads at scale. Together, we did exactly that. Today we’re announcing that Cuckoo Chain is entering sunset mode, and we want to share not only the logistics but the lessons that will guide our next chapter.

This isn't a story of failure, but one of evolution. We set out to explore a new frontier, and the knowledge we brought back has illuminated a much clearer path forward. We’re immensely proud of what we built and even more excited for what comes next.

What We Achieved​

The Cuckoo Chain experiment was a resounding success in demonstrating real-world engagement with on-chain AI. The numbers speak for themselves:

• Peak Daily Transactions: 300,000
• Lifetime Transactions: 888,884
• Unique Wallet Addresses: 57,089

These aren’t just vanity metrics. They represent the collective curiosity and creativity of real developers, artists, and tinkerers who stress-tested our Layer 1 network. They minted AI-generated art, deployed experimental smart contracts, and showed the world a glimpse of what permissionless AI can look like. For that, we are eternally grateful.

Sunset Logistics​

Effective immediately, we are beginning the sunset process for the Cuckoo Chain. Our priority is to make this transition as smooth as possible for our community. Here is what you need to know:

• All core network services—including the public airdrop portal, staking and mining rewards, the cross-chain bridge, and the official block explorer—will be brought offline.
• The chain will be finalized at a specific block height, after which no new blocks will be produced. All on-chain activity and smart-contract execution will cease.
• We believe in the permanent value of open data. A full historical node dump, CSV exports of on-chain activity, and checksums for verification are available upon request. Please contact us at hello@cuckoo.network to receive a copy.

Why We’re Sunsetting​

When we started, building a bespoke Layer 1 was the most direct way to achieve our technical goals. The landscape has since changed dramatically. In 2025, the rise of shared-security layers like EigenLayer AVSs, the OP Stack, ZK Stack, and various Hyperchains offers a new paradigm. These platforms deliver stronger economic guarantees, deeper liquidity, and a significantly lower operational burden than a stand-alone chain can realistically match.

Continuing to operate Cuckoo Chain would mean diverting resources to infrastructure maintenance instead of innovation. Shutting down the L1 is a strategic decision that lets us focus every dollar and every engineer on what matters most: building user-facing AI products that solve real problems.

What We Learned​

Running a public blockchain in the wild was an invaluable learning experience. We’re sharing these lessons in the spirit of transparency and to help other builders in the space.

1. Throughput ≠ Product-Market Fit We successfully scaled to handle high TPS, but without a single, must-have application, much of that activity consisted of users looping assets through faucets to farm rewards. High throughput is a means to an end, not the end itself. Durable demand comes from utility, not just capacity.

2. Incentives Must Map to Utility Our airdrop and high-yield staking programs were effective at attracting an initial wave of users. However, these incentives primarily attracted opportunistic wallets that had little retention once the rewards tapered off. Future tokenomics must be directly tied to genuine product usage, not just passive holding.

3. Infrastructure Costs Compound The financial and human costs of maintaining a secure L1 are immense. Validator coordination, bridge security, continuous bug bounties, and third-party audits quickly consumed six-figure budgets. This capital is far better spent on developing the core AI features that differentiate our product.

4. A Fragmented Dev Experience Hurts Growth By creating our own environment, we introduced friction. Developers are accustomed to the mature tooling of EVM or the modularity of the Cosmos SDK. Our custom RPC quirks and missing libraries raised the barrier to entry, slowing down the organic growth of our developer ecosystem.

5. Security & Compliance Overhead Scales Non-Linearly Every new bridge or integration didn't just add to our security burden—it multiplied it. Each connection point became a new potential attack surface and introduced another layer of regulatory complexity, demanding constant vigilance and resources.

How We’ll Do Better Next Time​

Our experience with Cuckoo Chain has given us a clear playbook for the future. We are not pivoting away from our mission but refining our strategy to execute it more effectively.

• Build on shared security, not against it. Our future services will launch as rollups or actively validated services (AVSs) that inherit consensus, bridges, and liquidity from established ecosystems like Ethereum.
• Lead with a flagship use case. We will dog-food our own technology, starting with our intent-centric AI coaching quests. This will show developers why they should build with us, not just how.
• Align tokenomics with real workload demand. We are moving away from blanket airdrops and toward revenue-share models and token rewards tied directly to usage metrics and service-level KPIs.
• Prioritize developer ergonomics. We will provide EVM-equivalent RPCs, comprehensive TypeScript SDKs, ready-to-use Hardhat and Foundry templates, and first-class documentation to ensure a frictionless developer experience.
• Practice progressive decentralization. We will start with a focused product, publish a clear roadmap for open governance, and keep sunset procedures documented from day one. Planning for every stage of a project's life cycle is a mark of maturity.

Accessing Chain Data​

Need a full node dump, contract state, or transaction proofs? Email hello@cuckoo.network with the subject line “Cuckoo Chain Archive Request”.

A Heartfelt Thank-You​

This journey was only possible because of our incredible community. Whether you spun up a validator in the early days, minted your first AI collectible, reported a gnarly bug, or joined a late-night debate on Discord, you made Cuckoo Chain what it was. We are deeply grateful for every transaction, every pull-request, and every ounce of support you gave us.

We’re not slowing down—just shedding the parts that no longer serve the mission. Stay with us; the next chapter will move faster and reach farther.

— The Cuckoo Network Team

Cuckoo Network는 IoTeX의 번창하는 생태계에 분산형 AI 인프라를 제공하며 레이어 2 솔루션으로 IoTeX로 확장하게 되어 기쁩니다. 이 전략적 파트너십은 AI 모델 서빙에 대한 Cuckoo의 전문성과 IoTeX의 강력한 MachineFi 인프라를 결합하여 두 커뮤니티 모두에게 새로운 기회를 창출합니다.

필요성​

IoTeX 사용자와 개발자는 효율적이고 분산된 AI 계산 자원에 접근할 필요가 있으며, AI 애플리케이션 빌더는 확장 가능한 블록체인 인프라가 필요합니다. IoTeX에 구축함으로써 Cuckoo 체인은 이러한 요구를 충족시키면서 새로운 생태계로 분산형 AI 마켓플레이스를 확장합니다.

해결책​

IoTeX에서의 Cuckoo 체인은 다음을 제공합니다:

• IoTeX의 MachineFi 인프라와의 원활한 통합
• AI 모델 서빙을 위한 낮은 거래 비용
• 분산형 AI 애플리케이션의 확장성 향상
• IoTeX와 Cuckoo 체인 간의 크로스체인 상호운용성

에어드랍 세부사항​

이 확장을 기념하기 위해 Cuckoo Network는 IoTeX 및 Cuckoo 커뮤니티 회원들을 위한 에어드랍 캠페인을 시작합니다. 참가자들은 다양한 참여 활동을 통해 $CAI 토큰을 얻을 수 있습니다:

1. IoTeX 생태계의 초기 채택자
2. 네트워크에 기여하는 GPU 채굴자
3. 크로스체인 활동에 적극적으로 참여
4. 커뮤니티 참여 및 개발 기여

리더십의 인용문​

"IoTeX에서 레이어 2로 Cuckoo 체인을 구축하는 것은 AI 인프라를 분산화하려는 우리의 사명에서 중요한 이정표입니다,"라고 Cuckoo Network의 CPO인 Dora Noda는 말합니다. "이 협력은 IoTeX의 혁신적인 MachineFi 생태계에 효율적이고 접근 가능한 AI 계산을 제공하면서 우리의 분산형 AI 마켓플레이스를 확장할 수 있게 해줍니다."

자주 묻는 질문

Q: IoTeX에서 Cuckoo 체인의 L2는 무엇이 독특한가요?

A: IoTeX에서의 Cuckoo 체인의 L2는 IoTeX의 MachineFi 인프라와 분산형 AI 모델 서빙을 독특하게 결합하여 IoT 기기 및 애플리케이션에 효율적이고 비용 효과적인 AI 계산을 가능하게 합니다.

Q: 에어드랍에 어떻게 참여할 수 있나요?

A: https://cuckoo.network/portal/airdrop?referer=CuckooNetworkHQ를 방문하여 자격 요건을 완료하고 보상을 받으세요.

Q: 더 많은 $CAI를 얻으려면 어떻게 해야 하나요?

• $CAI 토큰 스테이킹
• GPU 채굴자 노드 운영
• 크로스체인 거래 참여
• 커뮤니티 개발 기여

Q: GPU 채굴자의 기술 요구 사항은 무엇인가요?

A: GPU 채굴자는 다음이 필요합니다:

• NVIDIA GTX 3080, L4 이상
• 최소 8GB RAM
• 상위 10명의 채굴자 중 $CAI 스테이킹 및 투표
• 안정적인 인터넷 연결 자세한 설정 지침은 cuckoo.network/docs에서 확인하세요.

Q: IoTeX 사용자에게 어떤 혜택이 있나요?

A: IoTeX 사용자는 다음에 접근할 수 있습니다:

• 분산형 AI 계산 자원
• AI 서비스에 대한 낮은 거래 비용
• 기존 MachineFi 애플리케이션과의 통합
• GPU 채굴 및 스테이킹을 통한 새로운 수익 기회

Q: 크로스체인 기능은 어떻게 작동하나요?

A: 사용자는 우리의 브리지 인프라를 사용하여 IoTeX, Arbitrum 및 Cuckoo 체인 간에 자산을 원활하게 이동할 수 있으며, 생태계 전반에 걸쳐 통합된 유동성과 상호운용성을 가능하게 합니다. Arbitrum 브리지는 출시되었으며 IoTeX 브리지는 아직 진행 중입니다.

Q: 출시 일정은 어떻게 되나요?

A: 일정:

• 1월 8일 주: Cuckoo 체인 메인넷에서 에어드랍 배포 시작
• 1월 29일 주: IoTeX와 Cuckoo 체인 간의 브리지 배포
• 2월 12일 주: 자율 에이전트 런치패드의 전체 출시

Q: 개발자는 Cuckoo 체인의 IoTeX L2에서 어떻게 구축할 수 있나요?

A: Cuckoo 체인은 완전한 EVM 호환성을 유지하므로 개발자는 익숙한 이더리움 도구와 언어를 사용할 수 있습니다. 포괄적인 문서와 개발자 리소스는 cuckoo.network/docs에서 제공될 예정입니다.

Q: 총 에어드랍 할당량은 어떻게 되나요?

A: "IoTeX x Cuckoo" 에어드랍 캠페인은 총 10억 $CAI 토큰 공급량 중 초기 채택자 및 커뮤니티 회원을 위해 예약된 총 1‰ 할당량의 일부를 배포할 것입니다.

연락처 정보

자세한 정보는 우리의 커뮤니티에 참여하세요:

• 웹사이트: https://cuckoo.network
• 디스코드: https://cuckoo.network/dc
• 텔레그램: https://cuckoo.network/tg
• X/트위터: https://cuckoo.network/x