DogeOS, the application layer developed by the team behind the MyDoge wallet, has officially launched its public testnet named Chikyu, bringing Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible smart contracts to Dogecoin through a zero-knowledge rollup architecture.
The new Layer 2 is designed to support decentralized applications including trading, lending, stablecoins, prediction markets, and games, while settling its state to the Dogecoin network. DOGE serves as the native gas asset for transaction fees and smart contract deployment, meaning the system does not introduce a separate network token.
DogeOS targets throughput of roughly 300 transactions per second, compared with about 30 TPS on Dogecoin’s base layer. Developers can use Ethereum tooling such as Hardhat, Foundry, EthersJS, and Remix, lowering the barrier for Solidity-based teams. The testnet also provides technical documentation, a bridge, a faucet, and the L2Scan explorer.
Early applications on Chikyu include Barkswap for liquidity, Superposition Finance for lending, Derps for perpetual futures, and USDoge as an algorithmic stablecoin, alongside gaming projects Doge Escape and Doxx Arcade.
DogeOS currently relies on a trusted execution environment, validators, and a permissioned sequencer for security. Dogecoin itself does not yet verify the ZK proofs, DogeOS CEO Jordan Jefferson told The Block. Bridge state transitions require valid proofs plus signatures from a majority of validators and a TEE signer. A previously proposed upgrade to Dogecoin Core would allow miners to verify execution proofs directly, but it has not been implemented.
“We’re focused on the public testnet, giving developers time to build and test applications while we validate the network,” Jefferson said. “We’ll share the mainnet timeline as we reach the next development milestones.”
Timothy Stebbing, director of the Dogecoin Foundation, said: “My hopes are that DogeOS becomes the springboard for a wave of new utility engineering, the gateway for the next 100 startups to build on Dogecoin.”
The project announced a $6.9 million funding round led by Polychain Capital in May 2025. At publication time, DOGE traded around $0.094, down 60% over the past year. No mainnet launch date has been disclosed.
