# Fireside Chat with Jordi on EEZ I Jordi Baylina & Kartik Talwar

- Speakers: [Kartik Talwar](https://streameth.org/speakers/kartik-talwar), [Jordi Baylina](https://streameth.org/speakers/jordi-baylina)
- Channel: [ETHGlobal](https://streameth.org/ethglobal)
- Date: 2026-05-09
- Duration: 22:32
- Topics: EEZ, Ethereum Economic Zone, Jordi Baylina, Kartik Talwar, Pragma, zero knowledge, ZK proving, real-time proving, rollups, cross-chain, synchronous, L1, L2, Ethereum, Gnosis, Zirket, GPU, block builder, validator, decentralization, permissionless, smart contracts, EVM, interoperability, bridge, DevNet, nonprofit, composability, state transition, execution table, latency, scaling, data availability, proof, infrastructure, blockchain, Web3
- Watch: https://streameth.org/watch/yt-INL05J20K9Q
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INL05J20K9Q

## Description

In this fireside chat, Kartik Talwar interviews Jordi Baylina from the Gnosis team about the Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ), a new protocol for synchronous cross-chain communication between Ethereum rollups. Jordi explains that EEZ enables smart contracts on different chains to call each other as if they were on the same chain — not just token transfers but any arbitrary contract call including voting, NFT operations, and more. This is made possible by breakthroughs in real-time ZK proving, where a full Ethereum block can now be proved with just 12 GPUs, down from 128 six months prior.

Jordi walks through the technical architecture: when a cross-chain call happens, an execution table is stored on L1, zero-knowledge proved, and resolved within Ethereum's 12-second block time. Transactions between L2s are effectively free, limited only by GPU hardware. EEZ is permissionless — anyone can create a rollup, even non-EVM chains, as long as they support the call interface. Built by a nonprofit association with no token and no monetization, the project currently has a working internal DevNet with plans to open it publicly soon. Jordi flags block builder centralization as his primary concern, noting that validators must choose responsibly to preserve Ethereum's decentralization values.

00:00 Introduction
00:10 Welcome and What Is the Ethereum Economic Zone
01:12 Synchronous Cross-Chain Calls: The Core Idea
02:04 What Changed: Real-Time ZK Proving Breakthroughs
03:16 From 128 GPUs to 12: Engineering Progress
04:39 Two Years of Latency Reduction Work
06:14 How EEZ Differs from Bridges and Other Solutions
07:14 Nonprofit Structure: No Token, No Monetization
08:20 Connecting L1 to L2 and L2 to L2
09:25 Any Call Data Works: Not Just Token Transfers
09:59 Permissionless Rollup Creation and Non-EVM Support
11:45 How Real-Time Proving Works in Practice
14:39 Scaling: One Proof for All Instructions
15:37 Free Transactions Between L2s
16:38 Does EEZ Help or Fragment Ethereum
18:06 Concerns: Block Builder Centralization
19:35 Validator Responsibility and Decentralization
21:02 Project Status: DevNet Live, Public Access Soon
22:16 Closing

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🇫🇷 *Pragma Cannes 2026*
Pragma Cannes 2026 was held on April 2nd at the JW Marriott Hotel in Cannes, France and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Cannes 2026 YouTube Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh5OnsJ95gz7HoI1tLUj3kZr

ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. 

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✅ Follow Jordi Baylina
X: https://x.com/jbaylina

✅ Follow ZisK
X: https://x.com/ziskvm

✅ Follow Kartik Talwar
X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik

✅ Follow ETHGlobal
X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​
Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal
Website: https://ethglobal.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA 

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