ZetaChain and Google Cloud launch a global buildathon to inspire AI-driven Web3 innovation using Google’s Gemini 2.5 series of models and Universal Apps on the Universal Blockchain.

At ZetaChain, our mission is to build a Universal Blockchain with native access to any blockchain, making crypto as accessible, diverse, and connected as the internet. In collaboration with Google Cloud, we’re excited to host the AI-Powered Universal App Buildathon, running from August 2nd to August 24th, where developers will build next-generation Web3 applications that integrate Google’s Gemini 2.5 series models on ZetaChain, the only L1 blockchain with native connectivity to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and more.

Organized in collaboration with DoraHacks, the buildathon features a $9,000 prize pool and access to coupons worth $1,000 in Google Cloud credits. Winning teams will gain visibility, mentorship, and long-term support through the ZetaChain ecosystem. Join the Buildathon on DoraHacks to get started.

This Buildathon builds on the growing collaboration between ZetaChain and Google Cloud, following Google Cloud’s recent validator onboarding and a joint AI-powered crypto startup pitch competition at Google’s San Francisco office earlier this year.

Why AI-Powered Universal Apps?

Gemini 2.5, Google’s latest series of models, introduces key developer capabilities for building autonomous Web3 agents. With new features like function calling and code understanding, the Gemini family of models can interpret natural language and perform real-world actions like transacting, executing logic, or retrieving blockchain data based on user intent or contextual input.

While the Gemini 2.5 series opens the door to intelligent, reactive systems, ZetaChain provides the Layer 1 execution environment to make these agents truly on-chain and natively cross-chain.

ZetaChain’s Universal Apps enable developers to write a single smart contract that can read from, write to, and transact across any connected chain including Bitcoin, which no other chain natively supports. This removes the need to deploy and manage duplicate app deployments on each blockchain. Combined with Google’s Gemini 2.5 series, developers can create AI agents that use Gemini capabilities for reasoning, planning, and natural language processing to trigger smart contract actions via ZetaChain from a single unified app.

For example, you can build a multichain AI wallet assistant that listens to voice or chat input via Gemini, checks the user’s holdings across different networks via ZetaChain, and initiates smart transactions on your behalf. Given ZetaChain is a fully interoperable blockchain, the user does not need to switch his wallet or chain.

Denis Fadeev, Developer Relations Lead at ZetaChain, goes on to say, “Gemini agents can interpret requests like ‘Move my native BTC to earn yield in ETH,’ while ZetaChain gives that agent the native on-chain access to make it real.”

Read how to build AI Web3 agents with Google Cloud . Learn how to build Universal Apps on ZetaChain.

New AI + Crypto Ideas You Can Build

This buildathon is a launchpad for developers at the intersection of AI, crypto, and chain abstraction. Ideas for using ZetaChain and the Gemini 2.5 series include:

• Autonomous cross-chain AI agents that sign, send, or swap assets across networks including native Bitcoin

• Universal wallets with intent-based commands (“Send my largest asset to DeFi on Ethereum”)

• AI dashboards that query and visualize multichain on-chain data

• Smart auto-responders for wallets, DAOs, or dApps based on pre-defined Universal App smart contracts

• Tokenized AI outputs where LLMs execute decisions based on real-time blockchain events

Builders can access a ZetaChain testnet faucet hosted on Google Cloud to easily acquire ZETA testnet tokens and deploy their ideas. Explore the ZetaChain developer docs to get started.

Join our Buildathon Kickoff Workshop to learn more and start building (visit our event page for details).

Silicon Valley Meets the Universal Blockchain

ZetaChain’s roots in Silicon Valley run deep. From frequent meetups at our San Francisco HQ and events at House of Web3 to our presence at Stanford Blockchain Week and UC Berkeley, ZetaChain is committed to enabling the next generation of blockchain innovation, especially as it intersects with AI.

About ZetaChain

ZetaChain is the first Universal Blockchain with native access to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and more, offering seamless user experience and unified liquidity to the next billions of users. With its Universal EVM, ZetaChain empowers developers to build Universal Apps that operate natively across any blockchain, creating a fluid crypto ecosystem from a single platform.

Follow ZetaChain on Twitter @zetablockchain and join the conversation on Discord and Telegram. Reach out to [email protected] if you’re building on top of ZetaChain.

Any projects mentioned are 3rd party, not ZetaChain.

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