Sonic SVM’s Attention Capital Markets (ACM) protocol upgrade transforms onchain incentives, measuring and rewarding user engagement as a programmable, liquid asset.
The ACM framework introduces a system of epoch-based scoring and a flywheel incentive model, orchestrated via the HyperGrid network’s specialized nodes and smart contracts.
ACM allows dApps to directly monetize attention, offering developers new growth verticals as seen in live campaigns such as FoMoney and Sonic Mobius.
ACM introduces a standardized scoring system using normalized attention metrics, enabling transparent reward allocation across programs.
The HyperGrid infrastructure supports scalable, composable incentive rails, allowing dApps to partake in the upside of a shared attention economy while preserving autonomy.
Primer
Sonic SVM (SONIC) is a Layer-2 (L2) scaling solution on Solana designed to improve the efficiency and interoperability of blockchain-based applications by providing dedicated blockspace and improved tools for developers and users. First announced in March 2024, Sonic SVM leverages the novel HyperGrid scaling mechanism to integrate seamlessly with Solana and deliver high-performance applications and efficient transaction rollups.
Key features include atomic interoperability; the HyperGrid framework for optimistic rollup deployment on Solana; and the Rush ECS framework, simplifying building onchain games and autonomous worlds. Sonic provides monetization tools for payments, settlements, and user acquisition tailored for gaming and applications. One such application is SonicX, a blockchain-based "tap-to-earn" gaming platform built on Solana's Sonic SVM. It integrates with TikTok, allowing users to log in with their TikTok account to participate in gameplay and earn rewards. The platform has reported a user base exceeding two million players.
Sonic SVM was founded by Chris Zhu (CEO), who previously held roles at TikTok, ByteDance, and Donut. In June 2024, the project team announced the completion of a $12 million Series A round in addition to a previously completed $4 million Seed round. Investors include BITKRAFT, Galaxy Interactive, Big Brain Holdings, Sky9 Capital, and OKX Ventures, among others.
In Q2 2025, Sonic SVM launched its Attention Capital Markets (ACM) upgrade, introducing a new incentive model that tracks and monetizes onchain engagement as programmable attention capital. With the ACM upgrade, Sonic SVM enables dApps to measure user interactions across wallets, programs, and value flows, rewarding users based on verifiable attention. This system, underpinned by the HyperGrid network and a suite of scoring algorithms, transforms user activity into a liquid, redistributable asset, creating new economic rails for dApp growth.
Sonic SVM’s attention economy suggests that in a world of overwhelming information, true scarcity shifts to human attention. This insight is operationalized by treating attention as a measurable, programmable asset within its ecosystem. Through its infrastructure, the project quantifies onchain engagement (e.g., views, clicks, wallet interactions, and transactional volume) as attention capital, allowing protocols to turn offchain engagement into verifiable, value-generating behavior.
Furthering this vision, Sonic SVM introduces the Attention Capital Funnel. Awareness generated through social channels like impressions, likes, and views is translated into verifiable blockchain activity such as wallet connections, contract invocations, and token interactions. Through its ACM infrastructure, Sonic SVM quantifies and redistributes this engagement across the ecosystem, creating a feedback-driven incentive flywheel that rewards authentic usage and drives sustainable growth.
Programmatic Attention Metrics & Attention Epochs
Central to ACM is its suite of programmatic metrics designed to objectively capture both the quality and magnitude of user engagement on Sonic SVM. These are divided into two main groups:
Activity Metrics (Core Engagement):
Direct User Interactions (IP): Counts of user-signed instructions or transactions targeting a program; captures raw engagement volume.
Unique Interacting Wallets (UP): Distinct user public keys interacting with a program; reflects the breadth of a dApp’s user base.
Cross-Program Invocations Received (CPI): Number of times a program is called by other programs; signals composability and integration.
Attributed Compute Unit (CU) Consumption: Measures computational resources consumed by a program, indicating onchain processing intensity.
Economic Attention Metrics (Capital Flows):
Transaction Value Flow (VP): Represents the total value of user-initiated transactions.
Native SONIC Staking Volume (SP): Measures the total number of SONIC tokens staked.
To encourage fairness, Sonic SVM introduces the Attention Epoch, a predetermined interval during which onchain metrics are measured and aggregated. Attention Epochs vary in length (e.g., a week or month), offering flexible time ranges rather than a fixed duration.
At the end of each epoch, attention scores are calculated, and rewards are distributed to qualifying programs based on their relative performance. This architecture allows incentive distribution to be tied to recent onchain activity. It also creates a transparent hub for developers and DAOs to track their performance and optimize operations for attracting user attention.
The Program Attention Flywheel & ACM Incentive Structure
Sonic SVM’s Attention Capital Markets framework goes beyond measuring engagement. Its structure is designed to drive a flywheel where attention fuels further growth.
The project’s incentive pool is sourced from the SONIC token supply, with a portion of tokens specifically allocated to community and ecosystem rewards. According to the official token allocation, 30.0% of the total token supply (720.0 million SONIC) is dedicated to the Ecosystem, and 20.0% (480.0 million SONIC) is set aside for HyperGrid Rewards. Programs that excel in attracting, engaging, and retaining users are rewarded with a share of the protocol’s incentive pool. These rewards can then be reinvested into user acquisition, game development, engagement programs, or feature development, thus driving the growth flywheel described in the framework.
A practical example of this attention flywheel can be found within the FoMoney ecosystem, an onchain game which attracted over 1.0 million unique wallet users and approximately 200 million transactions on Sonic SVM’s testnet two months after launch. By integrating with the ACM framework, FoMoney enabled players to stake SONIC, mint in-game assets, and participate in the in-game economy. Each action was tracked and scored, and the game’s developers received ACM rewards based on their ability to generate verifiable attention. These rewards were then used to enhance the game, sponsor tournaments, and attract new players, thus reinforcing the attention flywheel.
Similarly, the Sonic Mobius Campaign leveraged ACM metrics to allocate rewards across user engagement activities. During the campaign, users could earn rewards by staking SONIC tokens, providing liquidity, minting NFTs, participating in in-game spending, and trading on the SEGA DEX. Rewards were distributed from a dedicated prize pool based on ACM metrics that tracked the quality and quantity of user engagement. The more users participated in these activities, the greater their share of the rewards. Additionally, the campaign included features like referral bonuses and milestone achievements to further incentivize active involvement and community growth. This approach not only rewarded users for their contributions but also reinforced a cycle of engagement and reinvestment within the Sonic SVM ecosystem.
Programs that mobilize users and drive onchain activity rise in the ACM rankings, securing greater shares of the incentive pool for future growth initiatives.
ACM Core Algorithms & Scoring Architecture
The integrity and trustworthiness of the ACM framework depend on transparent, objective, and reproducible algorithms. Sonic SVM’s authority score incorporates both direct and indirect indicators of influence and engagement.
The scoring process involves:
Metric Normalization & Scaling: Raw metrics are normalized to comparable scales, ensuring fairness across programs of different sizes.
Activity & Economic Scores: Individual scores are computed based on the normalized metrics in each category.
Base & Final Attention Score: These are combined, potentially with weighting or decay functions, to yield a program’s overall attention score for the epoch.
Post-epoch, these scores are published via dashboards and explorer integrations, providing transparency for developers and the community. This visibility encourages healthy competition and supports data-driven decision-making by DAOs and dApp operators.
The ACM protocol upgrade is deeply integrated with Sonic SVM’s technical foundation, the HyperGrid framework, and its network of specialized nodes.
To demonstrate HyperGrid’s capabilities, Sonic partnered with Injective to launch the Smart Agent Hub, Injective’s first cross-chain AI agent platform. Built atop the HyperGrid framework, this hub enables AI agents developed on Sonic’s SVM to seamlessly interoperate with the Injective ecosystem using the Inter‑Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. It introduces features like agent tokenization and fractionalized ownership, cross‑chain asset transfers, and a unified developer experience with a single RPC endpoint, SVM Explorer, and comprehensive SDK tooling.
Among HyperGrid’s set of nodes:
The Relay Node: Entry point for applications, facilitating secure RPC communication with the HyperGrid network.
The HSSN Node (HyperGrid Shared State Network): Distributed consensus and storage layer responsible for state persistence, fee and incentive tracking, and high-availability data replication.
The Grid Node: Sequencer and execution environment for transaction processing, account management, and program-level reward distribution.
All nodes communicate on a unified network plane, leveraging peer-to-peer protocols for resilience and fault tolerance. The HSSN Replicated State Database (RSDB) underpins the billing, metric, and reward calculation pipeline, ensuring data is securely and consistently available across the ecosystem.
At the smart contract layer, ACM introduces:
Registry Programs: Gate access to the attention economy by tracking eligible programs.
Attention Distributor Program: Uses HSSN-calculated incentive bills and final attention scores to allocate rewards to programs after each epoch.
Fee Distributor Program: Handles the disbursal of network fees.
This modular, multi-layered architecture allows Sonic SVM to scale attention-based incentives across numerous dApps and games while maintaining security, composability, and developer flexibility.
Closing Summary
By treating verifiable attention as a native, programmable asset, Sonic SVM not only addresses the challenge of incentivizing sustainable dApp growth but also charts a new course for value creation in Web3 gaming and dApp ecosystems. The combination of programmatic metrics, transparent scoring, and automated epoch-based rewards creates a robust attention flywheel, aligning stakeholders around measurable, productive user activity. Early implementations in campaigns like FoMoney and Mobius demonstrate ACM’s potential to catalyze new forms of user engagement, loyalty, and economic alignment.
This report was commissioned by Mirror World Inc. All content was produced independently by the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Messari, Inc. or the organization that requested the report. The commissioning organization may have input on the content of the report, but Messari maintains editorial control over the final report to retain data accuracy and objectivity. Author(s) may hold cryptocurrencies named in this report. This report is meant for informational purposes only. It is not meant to serve as investment advice. You should conduct your own research and consult an independent financial, tax, or legal advisor before making any investment decisions. Past performance of any asset is not indicative of future results. Please see our Terms of Service for more information.
No part of this report may be (a) copied, photocopied, duplicated in any form by any means or (b) redistributed without the prior written consent of Messari®.
