Lighter has introduced an Ethereum Virtual Machine development network that processes blocks every second and enables smart contracts to manage trading orders. The release, announced by Axiom on October 16, provides developers with a sandbox environment connected to Lighter’s perpetual futures and spot markets. Access to the network is granted in batches, with broader availability expected in the coming weeks. The devnet runs on a test layer-one chain that serves as settlement and data availability, using mocked zero-knowledge proofs for finality. A private settlement chain handles transaction ordering, while Core, the exchange’s matching and risk engine, operates its own test markets. Developers can read market data, submit and cancel orders, and transfer assets between the EVM and Core environments through a read precompile interface. Contracts can query account balances, positions, and order books, and execute asynchronous writes that settle within seconds. The architecture includes an escape hatch for asset recovery in case of sequencer or prover failure, though this feature remains partially limited on the devnet. The network uses the Fusaka BPO2 fork of Ethereum, pays gas in ETH, and enforces a maximum block gas limit of 17 million. Chain identifiers differ for the EVM (19,529) and Core (300), and third-party contracts such as Safe wallet, Multicall3, and Permit2 are pre-deployed for developer use. OpenVM verifies execution proofs from both environments, aggregating them into a single proof for Ethereum verification. The release supports standard Ethereum JSON-RPC tools, including Foundry, Hardhat, Viem, and Ethers. Early access applications can be submitted via email to evm@lighter.xyz, with feedback channels available through Lighter’s EVM Discord. The devnet’s limitations are documented, including restricted historical block reads and incomplete asset-recovery functionality. Volume data from October 9 indicated $7.35 billion in seven-day perpetual futures trading on Robinhood Chain, the prior infrastructure Lighter provides to Robinhood Wallet. The integration previously restricted access for U.S. users and expanded to support tokenized stocks as collateral in July. Developer cohorts are being onboarded to address issues iteratively, with full access planned for later stages.