Solana's monolithic thesis wins. The rise of parallel execution engines like Aptos Block-STM and Sui's object-centric model validates the core architectural premise: maximizing throughput on a single state machine is the primary scaling vector. These chains are not building modular stacks; they are optimizing the same base layer.
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Why Aptos and Sui Validate Solana's Core Thesis
The next wave of high-performance L1s—Aptos and Sui—aren't building modular stacks. They're following Solana's monolithic playbook, proving that for raw performance, integration beats decomposition.
introduction
THE VALIDATION
Introduction
Aptos and Sui, despite their own innovations, prove Solana's foundational bet on a single global state machine was correct.
Parallelization is the new consensus. The competition is no longer about Nakamoto vs. BFT consensus. It is about parallel execution efficiency, where Solana's Sealevel, Aptos Block-STM, and Sui's Move-based ownership compete directly. This shift makes raw hardware utilization the key performance metric.
Developer traction is the evidence. Major protocols like Aries Markets and MovEX deploy natively on both Aptos and Sui, mirroring Solana's early growth pattern. This demonstrates that developers prioritize a high-performance, unified environment over fragmented modular promises for core DeFi logic.
key-trends
WHY APTOS & SUI VALIDATE SOLANA'S CORE THESIS
The Monolithic Convergence: Three Core Trends
The rise of Aptos and Sui, despite their technical differences, signals a market-wide rejection of modular complexity in favor of raw, integrated performance.
01
The Parallel Execution Mandate
Solana pioneered optimistic parallel execution with Sealevel. Aptos (Block-STM) and Sui (object-centric model) are expensive R&D bets proving that parallelization is non-negotiable for scaling.\n- Key Benefit: Eliminates contention, enabling ~100k+ TPS theoretical ceilings.\n- Key Benefit: Unlocks new application designs impossible on sequential EVM chains.
100k+
Theoretical TPS
~400ms
Finality
02
Native Asset Standardization
Solana's SPL tokens and program-derived addresses (PDAs) create a predictable, composable financial layer. Aptos (Move objects) and Sui (native objects) embed assets into the core VM, making security and interoperability a first-class property.\n- Key Benefit: Eliminates ERC-20 approval risks and proxy contract vulnerabilities.\n- Key Benefit: Enables atomic, multi-asset transactions across any dApp.
0
Proxy Risks
Atomic
Composability
03
Client-Level Optimization
Solana's performance stems from deep, vertical integration from the client (Agave) to the hardware. Aptos and Sui follow suit, building custom clients (AptosBFT, Narwhal/Bullshark) that co-optimize consensus, execution, and networking.\n- Key Benefit: Reduces latency stack overhead, targeting sub-second finality.\n- Key Benefit: Creates a unified roadmap where upgrades improve the entire stack simultaneously.
<1s
Finality Target
Vertical
Integration
VALIDATION MATRIX
Architectural Alignment: Solana, Aptos, Sui
Core architectural decisions that validate Solana's high-throughput, parallelized state machine thesis, as adopted and evolved by Aptos and Sui.
| Architectural Feature | Solana | Aptos | Sui |
|---|---|---|---|
Execution Model | Parallel optimistic (Sealevel) | Parallel optimistic (Block-STM) | Parallel object-centric (Sui Move) |
State Model | Global State via Accounts | Global State via Resources | Object-Centric State |
Consensus Core | Proof of History + Tower BFT | AptosBFT (HotStuff variant) | Narwhal-Bullshark (DAG-based) |
Peak Proven TPS | 65,000+ | 30,000+ | 297,000+ |
Time to Finality | < 2 seconds | < 1 second | < 1 second |
Primary Language | Rust (native) | Move (custom VM) | Move (custom VM) |
Fee Market Design | Localized (per account) | Global (per block) | Object-Owner Pays |
Native Atomic Composability |
deep-dive
THE ARCHITECTURAL CONVERGENCE
The Performance Imperative: Why Integration Wins
The rise of Aptos and Sui validates Solana's core thesis that monolithic architecture is the only path to high-performance, integrated user experiences.
Monolithic design dominates performance. Aptos (Move) and Sui (Move) are not modular competitors; they are parallel validations of Solana's core thesis. All three prioritize a single, vertically integrated state machine to minimize latency and maximize composability, rejecting the L2-centric modular dogma.
The bottleneck is integration, not execution. The primary cost for applications like Uniswap or Jupiter is not compute, but the latency of cross-domain communication. A monolithic chain like Solana eliminates the need for bridging layers like Across or LayerZero for core DeFi logic, making complex transactions atomic and cheap.
Parallel execution is the new baseline. Solana's Sealevel, Aptos's Block-STM, and Sui's object-centric model all implement parallel execution. This is not an innovation; it is the required foundation for scaling. The competition now centers on state management and client diversity, not architectural philosophy.
Evidence: Solana consistently processes 2,000-3,000 TPS of real user transactions, while Aptos benchmarks show Block-STM achieving over 160,000 TPS in controlled tests. This performance is impossible in a fragmented, multi-rollup ecosystem where every hop adds seconds and dollars.
counter-argument
THE MONOLITHIC ADVANTAGE
The Modular Rebuttal (And Why It Fails for Performance)
Modular architectures sacrifice deterministic performance for flexibility, validating Solana's integrated design for high-throughput applications.
Monolithic design eliminates coordination overhead. Modular chains like Celestia/EigenDA separate execution, consensus, and data availability. This creates latency and cost uncertainty for cross-layer communication, a non-starter for real-time DeFi or gaming.
Aptos and Sui validate the core thesis. Both are high-performance monolithic L1s using parallel execution engines (Block-STM, Narwhal/Bullshark). Their existence proves the market demand Solana identified: applications need a single, fast state machine, not a fragmented stack.
The performance ceiling is lower. A modular rollup's throughput is bounded by its slowest and cheapest component, often the data availability layer. This creates a fundamental throughput vs. cost trade-off that monolithic chains avoid.
Evidence: The dominant high-frequency DeFi activity (e.g., Jupiter, Drift) resides on Solana, not on modular rollups. Applications requiring sub-second finality and atomic composability cannot tolerate the multi-layer latency of a modular stack.
takeaways
PARALLEL EXECUTION VALIDATED
Key Takeaways for Builders and Investors
Aptos and Sui's architectural choices confirm the necessity of parallel execution for high-throughput chains, a thesis Solana pioneered.
01
The Move Language is a Feature, Not a Category
Aptos and Sui both use Move, but their implementations diverge. This proves the language is an enabler, not the core innovation. The real thesis is about state access models.
- Aptos (Block-STM): Optimistic parallel execution with software transactional memory.
- Sui (Object-Centric): Parallelizes by default using owned objects, eliminating contention.
- Solana (Sealevel): Parallelizes via explicit runtime hints and a global state schedule.
100k+
TPS Potential
~1s
Finality
02
Throughput is a Function of State Contention
The primary bottleneck for monolithic L1s is concurrent access to shared state. All three chains architect explicitly to minimize this.
- Solana: Requires programs to declare accounts upfront, enabling deterministic scheduling.
- Aptos: Uses a software transactional memory (STM) runtime to resolve conflicts post-execution.
- Sui: Architecturally avoids shared mutable state by design with independent objects.
- Result: Linear scaling with cores, not just higher clock speeds.
10x
Core Scaling
-90%
Failed TXs
03
The Client is the Bottleneck
Solana's historical downtime wasn't a consensus failure but a client implementation issue (Agave). Aptos and Sui's robust clients (AptosBFT, Narwhal/Bullshark) validate that reliable, performant state synchronization is non-negotiable.
- Key Insight: Network liveness depends on client software stability under load.
- Validator Requirement: High-spec hardware (>= 32GB RAM, NVMe SSDs) is now table stakes.
- Builder Implication: Infrastructure tooling (RPC nodes, indexers) must be equally robust.
99.9%
Uptime Target
$10k+
Hardware Cost
04
Native Asset Standards Trump EVM Compatibility
Aptos (Aptos Coin) and Sui (Sui Coin Standard) created their own token standards instead of forcing EVM compatibility. This mirrors Solana's SPL tokens and underscores that performance requires native, chain-specific primitives.
- Benefit: Enables deeper wallet/dApp integration and atomic composability.
- Trade-off: Creates friction for cross-chain liquidity vs. EVM chains.
- Investor Signal: The market values optimized performance over easy portability for core DeFi.
$1B+
Native TVL
~0.001
TX Cost
05
Vertical Integration Wins on Performance
Solana, Aptos, and Sui control the full stack: VM, consensus, networking, and client. This vertical integration allows for optimizations impossible in modular chains (e.g., Ethereum + L2s).
- Contrast: Modular chains sacrifice latency and atomic composability for sovereignty.
- Builder Takeaway: For applications requiring ultra-low latency (e.g., perps, gaming), integrated monolithic L1s are the only viable option.
- VC Implication: Bet on stacks, not just virtual machines.
200ms
Latency
Atomic
Composability
06
The Market is Voting for Throughput
Despite different approaches, the collective ~$50B+ combined FDV of Solana, Aptos, and Sui signals strong market demand for high-throughput base layers. This validates the thesis that scaling at L1 is a primary vector for the next wave of users.
- EVM L2s (Arbitrum, Optimism) scale computation but fragment liquidity and UX.
- Monolithic L1s offer a unified, high-performance environment for complex apps.
- Future Battleground: Developer UX and tooling maturity will determine the winner.
$50B+
Combined FDV
100M+
User Target
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