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ZetaChain proposes to shut down its layer-1 blockchain on December 9 and migrate its native ZETA token to the Solana blockchain, and also plans to launch a private artificial intelligence platform called ZetaLabs.
On November 4, the project announced that as part of Governance Proposal No. 2, the terms of the migration would be defined, including token conversion, holder protection, and network shutdown. Voting closes on November 7 at 16:12 UTC, and the proposed changes cannot be implemented unless token holders approve them.
“Nothing moves until it has passed,” the ZetaChain team stated.
The proposal follows a governance decision made in September, in which 99.4% of voting participants supported moving ZETA to Solana. That vote approved the direction of the migration but left implementation details to a second proposal.
ZetaChain has chosen December 9 as the estimated migration date
In accordance with Proposal No. 2, ZetaChain will freeze existing token balances at block 20,755,000, estimated to occur around December 9. This snapshot will include liquid assets, staked tokens, unbonding balances, and unclaimed staking rewards.
The existing blockchain will permanently stop producing blocks at its state peak, and Solana will become the network hosting the ZETA token.
The ZetaChain Foundation plans to issue an equivalent amount of ZETA tokens on Solana using the SPL token standard. The conversion will preserve the ticker and provide a 1:1 exchange rate without adding additional tokens to the existing supply.
After issuing the preliminary token volume, the foundation will revoke its authority to issue them. The new token will have nine decimal places and will not have freeze authority.
The proposal specifies that ZETA tokens already issued on Ethereum as ERC-20 standard tokens will remain unchanged.
ZetaChain now plans to focus its development on private artificial intelligence applications using Solana’s existing network infrastructure.
Token holders face different migration requirements
The proposed transition will allow eligible token holders to receive their ZETA tokens on Solana via the ZetaHub portal, starting December 9.
Users will be able to connect the wallet holding their existing ZETA assets, sign a message identifying their Solana wallet, and receive the corresponding balance without paying a transaction fee.
However, the proposed governance plan sets a minimum balance of 10 ZETA for individual claims. Addresses holding fewer than 10 tokens at the time of the snapshot will not be eligible to participate in this process.
Balances in exchange accounts will be converted according to rules established by the respective trading platforms, which are expected to announce their own schedules.
Users with locked or unlocking tokens will not need to withdraw their funds before the balance snapshot is taken, as these balances and accumulated rewards will be recorded automatically.
The situation is different for ZETA tokens held in liquidity pools or wrapped token contracts. The team recommended that holders close these positions before the snapshot is taken, as recovery requests for tokens held in contracts from individual wallets are not possible.
Meanwhile, assets held on ZetaChain as ZRC-20 tokens will be able to claim funds on their original networks, subject to a minimum value of $5 per token.
Security-focused company Hacken is auditing the migration portal and the software supporting it. ZetaChain stated that the portal will open only after the audit is completed and its results are published.
The team warned holders to use official websites and to never disclose their recovery phrases during the process.
ZetaChain plans to burn 55 million ZETA
The migration proposal includes a reduction of the token supply following the decommissioning of the ZetaChain validator network.
Approximately 55 million ZETA previously allocated to undistributed validator rewards will be spent through 12 monthly transactions throughout 2027.
Each transaction will remove approximately 4.6 million ZETA, and the final amount will depend on how many rewards have already been distributed by the time the blockchain stops.
The maximum token count will decrease by the burn amount, and future validator inflation associated with the existing layer 1 will cease.
The completion of token distribution to buyers and key program participants is scheduled for January 1, 2027. The foundation has also separately committed not to sell newly issued tokens from certain foundation-controlled allocations during 2027.
Previously, ZETA token unlock plans envisioned the release of approximately 44.43 million tokens in August 2026, before holders approved the proposed migration direction.
ZetaLabs will launch private AI services on Solana
Concurrent with the token migration, ZetaChain plans to launch ZetaLabs on December 9.
The application is built on Anuma Chat, which, according to the company, has been operating since February 2026. ZetaLabs will combine multiple artificial intelligence models with real-time financial market data and encrypted user memory.
Initial features include a chat for market research, a radar for tracking market activity, Bloom for encrypted transaction history, and a dashboard displaying token volume and burns.
Users will be able to pay for purchases with ZETA, USDC, or payment cards. Staking ZETA will grant access to premium features planned for the first quarter of 2027.
The development roadmap includes additional research tools, transaction explanations, and the ability to connect third-party applications to user-authorized information.
The proposed governance decision obligates ZetaChain to maintain an archive node at least until October 31, 2027, allowing users to access historical records after the planned shutdown.
If the November 7 vote fails, the September decision in support of the migration will remain in effect, but the team will need to submit a revised proposal before moving forward.
