- Internet Computer will integrate Bitcoin via the “Chromium Satoshi Release” before the end of Q1 this year
- Ethereum integration will follow in Q3 with the “Vanadium Vitalik Release”
DFINITY Foundation, the non-profit organization supporting the public blockchain Internet Computer, has published its roadmap for 2022.
The announcement detailed plans to integrate both Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains with the Internet Computer. These integrations aim to remove the need for external bridges, a common source of security risks and attack vectors.
“The ICP and BTC integration will prompt a new wave of DeFi applications built to leverage the world’s largest cryptocurrency,” a tweet from the DFINITY Foundation stated.
Unlocking the power of the Bitcoin network
The Bitcoin integration is scheduled to begin with the “Chromium Satoshi Release,” an upgrade targeted for Q1. This release will connect the Internet Computer to the Bitcoin network, enabling Internet Computer nodes to interact directly with Bitcoin blocks.
Dieter Sommer, a senior technical program manager on the project, describes the work as connecting IC nodes to Bitcoin nodes, obtaining Bitcoin blocks, providing those blocks through IC consensus, processing them, serving UTXO (unspent transaction output) sets to canister smart contracts, and allowing canisters to submit BTC transactions to the Bitcoin network.
When Bitcoin capability is added to the Internet Computer, smart contracts (canisters) will be able to send, receive, and hold Bitcoin without relying on a private key managed outside the blockchain. That capability could allow native Bitcoin usage inside Internet Computer applications.
Sommer noted that Bitcoin’s inherent constraints—higher transaction fees compared with some chains, an average 10-minute block time, limited transactions per second, and longer finality—will still apply when moving bitcoin into and out of the Internet Computer ecosystem. Those limitations will affect transfers into smart contracts on Internet Computer as well as transfers back to the Bitcoin network.
Integration with Ethereum will follow
Following the Bitcoin work, the roadmap schedules Ethereum integration for Q3 with the “Vanadium Vitalik Release.” Details remain limited, but DFINITY representatives have indicated that Internet Computer transactions will be logged to a ledger rather than relying on an external bridge model.
That ledger-based approach is intended to provide a more direct, auditable connection between chains. By integrating directly with Internet Computer, Bitcoin would gain access to a wide range of decentralized finance (DeFi) applications running on the platform. Conversely, DeFi projects on Internet Computer would benefit from Bitcoin’s broad recognition and liquidity.
Critics have long pointed to Bitcoin’s scalability limits and lack of native smart contract functionality as barriers to broader application. If these integrations succeed, they could represent a significant step toward expanding Bitcoin’s role within the DeFi ecosystem and enabling new classes of applications that leverage both Bitcoin’s liquidity and Internet Computer’s smart contract capabilities.
DFINITY’s roadmap emphasizes on-chain integration over bridging to reduce attack surfaces and improve composability between ecosystems. The Chromium and Vanadium releases will be key milestones to watch as they aim to bring tighter interoperability between Internet Computer, Bitcoin, and Ethereum without relying on intermediary trust assumptions.