> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.latch.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.latch.io/overview/latch-introduction/cross-chain-intent-settlement.md). # Cross-chain Intent Settlement #### What is Intent? While the buzzword “intent” may sound abstract, it actually is a simple idea to free users from the obscure blockchain technicalities. An “intent” is a message signed by a user to express ‘what’ is to be done instead of ‘how’ to do it. For example, when I want to use my $5 worth of MATIC on Polygon to exchange for $5 worth of USDT on Base, instead of signing and executing several steps of swapping & bridging by myself, I can just sign one intent: “Any one that sends my address $5 worth of USDT on Base, can take my $5 worth of MATIC on Polygon.” Such that I can outsource the entire execution task to professionals who can process these cross-chain transactions more efficiently. #### Building on Gravity Chain's Cross-chain Intent Settlement Infrastructure While this solution sounds intuitive enough, the challenging part is how do we settle this intent securely due to its cross-chain nature. Different blockchains don’t really “talk” to each other, and they have different states and finality rules → thus hard to synchronize for settlement. To achieve Cross-chain Intent Settlement (”CCIS”), we will be building on Gravity Chain, which is a high-performance blockchain with native support of CCIS, featuring: * Safer consensus & faster finality, leveraging PoS consensus and restaking * Efficient ZKP verification for cross-chain communication * High throughput with cost efficiency Gravity Chain will iron out the synchronization issues of different blockchains and act as the unified settlement layer.