Ritual Chain is building an AI-native Layer 1 that runs AI models, web access, autonomous scheduling, and private computation directly in the execution layer through 15 native precompiles, enabling execute-once, verify-many-times computation to support larger workloads.

Smart contracts on Ritual Chain can directly call AI models, fetch web data, perform private computation, and schedule future executions without additional tooling.

Core infrastructure partners include Phala Network for trusted execution environments, LayerZero for cross-chain messaging, Stargate for network interoperability, and Nous Research for Hermes integration.

Ritual has raised over $30 million from Archetype and Polychain Capital, with advisers such as Illia Polosukhin, Tarun Chitra, and Arthur Hayes; Archetype led the 2023 round.

A heartbeat mechanism restarts stopped agents within their allocated permissions and budget, ensuring continuity without off-chain schedulers or keeper networks.

The network provides native capabilities for AI model access, private computation, and autonomous scheduling for EVM applications, enabling long-lived agents that operate independently of their creators.

Agents on Ritual can be persistent and long-lived, holding funds in non-custodial wallets and processing confidential inputs in trusted execution environments.

The public testnet has processed over 40 million transactions, and the mainnet aims for sub-300 millisecond block times with 15 native precompiles for features like LLM inference, web access, and autonomous scheduling.

Since June, the network has run a public testnet, positioning Ritual Chain among fast Layer 1s with ambitious performance goals for mainnet launch.

Documentation and access are available at ritualfoundation.org, with a network explorer at explorer.ritualfoundation.org.

Ritual positions itself as integrating programmable value with programmable intelligence, enabling AI agents to hold assets, transact, and autonomously form economic relationships.

Ritual was founded in 2023 by Niraj Pant and Akilesh Potti, aiming to accelerate the convergence of programmable value and programmable intelligence through Ritual Chain.