Operators

Operator refers to any entity that operates a network validator. Rio partners with a set of industry leading professional operators to run both ETH validators, and the validation services required by the set of AVS that Rio secures.

New operators can be added to the network by the RioDAO creating a new Operator contract instance and designating the 3rd-party service provider as the fee receiver.

The protocol routinely routes delegations to Operators. These allocations are based on lowest utilization first.

For more information, see the EigenLayer documentation around Node Operators.

Node Operator Set

Rio's current operator set consists of Chorus One, Figment, HashKey Cloud, Kiln, and Unit 410.

Both restaking and AVS management bring significant risks (e.g., slashing) and requires operators experienced with deploying, securing, and maintaining highly available distributed systems in adversarial environments.

Selection Criteria

Operator selection is based on multiple criteria including:

• Operating history

• Slashing history

• Assets under management (AUM)

• Track record of running diverse software clients in production

• Best practices in key management, anti-slashing techniques, and highly available infrastructure