Why Sei Wants to Ditch Cosmos Compatibility and Bet on Ethereum
Sei to End Cosmos Compatibility and Focus Fully on Ethereum
The move comes as blockchain infrastructure developers compete to attract new developers and expand their influence.
Author: Tim Craig | Edited by: Parikshit Mishra Updated: May 8, 2025, 4:13 PM Published: May 8, 2025, 11:41 AM
Key points:
- Sei Network developers have proposed to stop supporting Cosmos in order to simplify the blockchain and improve consistency with Ethereum.
- The main goal of this proposal is to reduce complexity and infrastructure costs, which can facilitate Sei's growth and improve developer service.
On Wednesday, the Sei Network team proposed deprecating support for the Cosmos blockchain in order to remove “excessive” complexity for users.
If this proposal is implemented, Sei users will only be able to send and receive transactions that are compatible with Ethereum.
According to Philip Su, chief engineer at Sei Labs, deprecating Cosmos will significantly simplify the blockchain, reduce infrastructure costs, and strengthen Sei's position in the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
“This transition will lead to greater adoption, a better developer experience, and a more engaged community,” he said.
The move comes as blockchain infrastructure developers struggle to attract developers and expand their influence.
The Ethereum-based infrastructure, which runs on software called the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), serves as the foundation for most decentralized financial applications. Ethereum and other major blockchains, such as Coinbase's Base and Binance-linked BNB Chain, use the EVM.
However, there are competitors. Solana uses its own software known as the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM), while Cosmos is a pioneer in using software called CosmWasm.
Sei currently supports both EVM and CosmWasm. “While this dual architecture provides flexibility, it also creates significant complexity and friction for both users and developers,” Su added.
If Sei stops supporting CosmWasm, it could have a major impact on software adoption.
The Sei network has been growing steadily since its launch in 2023. According to DefiLlama, deposits on the network's DeFi applications have reached an all-time high of $1 billion, making it the 15th-largest blockchain by total value locked.
Barry Plunkett, co-CEO of Interchain Labs, the team behind Cosmos’ development and growth, told CoinDesk that even if Sei stops supporting Cosmos, it will still be a Cosmos-based blockchain. Users and developers will still be able to take advantage of some of Cosmos’ features, such as staking and governance, he added.
Excessive costs
At launch, Sei did not support EVM, and adoption was slow.
In its first year of operation, the blockchain attracted only about $50 million in deposits to its DeFi applications – a paltry amount compared to other blockchains launched around the same time, such as Sui, which attracted over $600 million in deposits in its first year.
However, the situation changed in July 2024, when Sei released a second version that allowed
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