Nova on Arbitrum

Nova will route transactions through the Timeboost lane when Kairos is the Timeboost leader

• Timeboost: The first wave of centralized sequencers, such as those operated within Base and Arbitrum ecosystems, ordered transactions based on a first come first served (FCFS), and via optional priority fees. However, downsides to FCFS emerged in the form of increased network congestion from searchers spamming the network to take advantage of MEV opportunities. In response, Offchain Labs developed Timeboost – a transaction ordering policy which combines an express lane and an offchain auction to protect users from MEV and reduce network spam, whilst preserving fast block times.

• Kairos: Built by the same team behind Nova, Kairos is a native integration with Arbitrum Timeboost that offers a streamlined path for searchers and other participants to access express-lane blockspace—without directly engaging in each round-level Timeboost auction.