Exclusive: Metis CEO Tom Ngo unveils AI-native L2 infrastructure, names two key narratives

Exclusive: Metis CEO Tom Ngo unveils AI-native L2 infrastructure, names two key narratives originally appeared on TheStreet.

Metis, one of Ethereum’s earliest Layer 2 (L2) scaling solutions, is shifting its focus from pure scaling to enabling AI-native infrastructure, says CEO Tom Ngo.

In a sit-down with TheStreet Roundtable host Malak Albaw, Ngo discussed how Metis has evolved from problem-solving in scaling to delivering real-world utility at the intersection of blockchain and AI.

Reflecting on Metis’s origins, Ngo noted, “We were one of the first L2 to scale out Ethereum. We’ve seen so many challenges in the industry… and right now, AI is the biggest convergence for our industry." He stressed that blockchain’s role in AI—especially in verifying and aligning data—is becoming central to their mission.

1. Hyperion: a high‑speed L2 built for AI data pipelines

“So we’re getting ready to launch Hyperion, a high‑speed instant L2 to really support the data AI sector,” Ngo revealed. Designed to handle both transaction throughput and data processing, Hyperion is Metis’s answer to the raw data demands of machine learning and large-language models.

Echoing the industry’s focus on data integrity, Ngo compared the need to validate AI inputs with how we verify news: “How do you validate truth?… Without the right data and without the correct models, AI is pretty inefficient.”

2. LAAS AI: anchoring trust in AI data with blockchain

He explained Metis is incubating a project called LAAS AI (Ledger-as-a-Service AI), aiming to solve the “data alignment problem.” Blockchain, Ngo says, enables tracking the origin, purpose, and evolution of data—creating a trustless, transparent record of who contributed what. “We can track where the data source is coming from… the truth of an origin… validated by its purpose.”

Challenges still loom for Web3

Regarding broader Web3 adoption, Ngo identified user growth as the core challenge:

“The blockchain industry… is struggling to bring in new users and finding new use case… the economic system isn’t built to sustain it.”

He positions blockchain + AI as a powerful economic incentive: contributors to AI models can be rewarded via tokenised incentives, creating lasting utility-driven ecosystems.

Exclusive: Metis CEO Tom Ngo unveils AI-native L2 infrastructure, names two key narratives first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 10, 2025

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

View Comments