ZetaChain 2.0 launches with Anuma: Private memory and AI interoperability for creators

Today, in San Francisco, a company named ZetaChain announced two big steps. On January 27, 2026, they started a beta program and a public waitlist for a new AI tool called Anuma. Anuma is designed to be private and user-controlled. It runs on a new technology they call ZetaChain 2.0. At the same time, ZetaChain introduced ZetaChain 2.0 itself. This new layer is an AI interoperability system. It helps developers build apps that work across many AI models, keeps private user information safe, and makes it easier to monetize AI apps globally without building a lot of extra infrastructure.

In simple terms, this news is about making AI tools easier to use together, while protecting what users say and remember. It is also about helping developers avoid repeating the same setup work for many different AI tools.

Why privacy matters. The idea behind privacy-first products is to put user control at the center. With privacy-first tools, people decide who can see their information. They own their own data. Anuma takes this approach and applies it to the next big consumer experience in AI, where the memory of past conversations and settings shapes how you use AI in the future.

Who is behind this effort. Ankur Nandwani, a core contributor at ZetaChain, helped create Basic Attention Token (BAT). BAT powers Brave, a web browser that has more than 100 million people using it each month. Brave is known for blocking trackers and ads by default, which makes browsing more private. Nandwani says Anuma brings Brave’s privacy mindset to AI. The goal is to let people control their memory and interactions with AI without giving away personal data to every app they use.

Why AI adoption is growing fast—but not everyone is in yet. Major AI tools are becoming very popular quickly. For instance, reports say ChatGPT reached 100 million users in just two months. OpenAI later reported very large usage numbers as well. Even with this huge growth, many people still use only one AI service, or they subscribe to more than one service but do not pay for many. This creates two problems. First, developers must build the same kinds of connections and billing systems for different AI tools. Second, user data can move between many apps and models, which can raise privacy concerns if people don’t have control over their own information.

What ZetaChain is trying to fix. ZetaChain started with a goal: reduce fragmentation in Web3. Web3 is a term people use for a newer, decentralized internet built with blockchain technology. The idea is to let apps work across different networks and with different kinds of assets in one place. ZetaChain wants to make universal apps—apps that can access assets like Bitcoin and run on many different blockchains using one platform. In 2025, ZetaChain said it had more than 11.5 million users and processed over 225 million transactions. Now, with ZetaChain 2.0, the company wants to bring this unity to AI. Apps can work across different AI models and different chains. Privacy and memory protection are built in from the start.

Two main parts of ZetaChain 2.0

• AI Portal: A single routing and execution layer. This lets apps reach many AI model providers without getting stuck with one vendor. It includes features for availability (making sure services are online), fallback (switching to a spare model if one is slow or unavailable), and cost-performance optimization (balancing speed and cost).
• Private Memory Layer: A memory system at the protocol level. It keeps your memory (the context from past conversations) encrypted and only accessible to apps that you permit. This helps you have a smooth experience across different sessions while still controlling what can see your data.

Developer tools. ZetaChain 2.0 is built to grow as a developer platform. In addition to the core protocol, ZetaChain will offer a developer SDK. This is a software toolkit that bundles private persistent memory, cross-model interoperability (talking to many AI models), and monetization tools all in one package. The goal is to help teams build privacy-first apps and AI agents that remember past chats, connect to several AI providers, and earn money globally without needing custom infrastructure for each project.

Anuma: The first consumer example

Anuma is the first consumer AI interface built on ZetaChain 2.0. It lets users access multiple leading AI models from one place. You can switch between models without losing the memory of your previous interactions. Importantly, memory stays private and under your control. People who want early access can join the public waitlist.

“Brave and BAT showed that privacy-first defaults can win at a large, consumer level,” said Ankur Nandwani. “We have already created a scalable blockchain experience—handling more than 225 million transactions. ZetaChain 2.0 takes that same idea and applies it to AI. It enables the next generation of apps and agents to work across models and chains with private, permissioned memory and global monetization by default.”

Funding and partners. In 2023, ZetaChain announced a funding round of $27 million. Investors included Blockchain.com, Human Capital, VY Capital, Sky9 Capital, Jane Street Capital, VistaLabs, CMT Digital, Foundation Capital, Lingfeng Capital, GSR, and others. This funding helped support the development of the technology described above.

About ZetaChain

ZetaChain describes itself as “the universal layer for AI and Web3.” Its goal is to help developers build apps that can run across different blockchains and different AI models, while keeping memory private and offering ways to monetize without heavy infrastructure. ZetaChain aims to be a common base for the next generation of apps, AI agents, and experiences—where technology can work together more smoothly than before.

For people who want to follow along, ZetaChain shares updates on X (formerly known as Twitter) and maintains discussions on Discord and Telegram.

Definitions and quick explanations

Below are simple explanations of some important terms. Each term includes a link to a Wikipedia page for more reading. The links come from the original post.

• Brave (web browser): Brave is a free and open-source web browser. It focuses on privacy. It blocks ads and trackers by default. It is built on a software base called Chromium.
• Basic Attention Token: BAT is a cryptocurrency used inside Brave’s system. It rewards publishers and users through Brave Rewards.
• Web3: Web3 is a concept for a decentralized internet. It uses blockchain technology, smart contracts, and tokens. It aims to give people more control over their data and online actions.
• Artificial intelligence: AI is when machines imitate human thinking. They can learn, reason, and improve over time to do tasks that used to require human thought.
• OpenAI: OpenAI is a company that researches and builds AI tools. It aims to make powerful AI benefits available to everyone.

Note: This is a press release. It shares new ideas and plans for the future. Details can change as the project grows.