What is HyperEVM?

HyperEVM is Hyperliquid's general-purpose, Ethereum-compatible layer — a real EVM chain (chain ID 999) where Solidity smart contracts live, including the Altcopy vaults. You connect to it with a normal wallet (Rabby, MetaMask) like any other EVM network, and gas is paid in HYPE.

It's where you actually deposit: your USDC has to be on HyperEVM, in your wallet, to go into a vault. You can get it there either from your Hyperliquid (Core) balance via an internal transfer, or directly from another chain through a cross-chain bridge.