Ethereum scaling firm =nil; Foundation introduces security-focused zkEVM

December 12, 2023 Coin Telegraph

ZK-focused Manta Pacific opts out of OP Stack for Polygon CDK

October 16, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Manta Pacific’s ZK-application-focused network will integrate with the Polygon ecosystem through the Chain Development Kit software.

Manta, a blockchain network focusing on zero-knowledge (ZK) applications, will migrate its software from OP Stack to Polygon CDK, according to an October 16 announcement. This means that Manta will not be integrated into the upcoming Optimism Superchain and will instead become part of the Polygon ecosystem.

*Manta Pacific block explorer. Source: Manta.*

Manta network is an Ethereum layer-2 focusing on zero-knowledge-based applications, including digital identity and privacy solutions. It launched a mainnet on September 12 and has processed more than 500,000 transactions.

Manta was originally developed as an optimistic rollup that uses the OP Stack software developed by Optimism Labs. This software is intended to help create a “Superchain” of interconnected networks that will share the same security model. However, it faces competition from the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK), which employs a different security model but is also used to create a web of interconnected blockchain networks.

In its announcement, Manta said it chose to migrate to Polygon CDK for three reasons. First, with Polygon CDK, deposits and withdrawals can be processed quickly, as they don’t require a period of time for fraud proofs to be submitted. “Finality can happen in minutes or seconds, rather than days,” the announcement stated. This is because “CDK leverages the security of math rather than the social-economic incentives of fraud proofs.”

Secondly, Manta claimed that Polygon CDK is more “modular” and “sovereign” than alternatives, giving the team more flexibility as it continues to build out features. Thirdly, using Polygon CDK will allow developers to create a “trustless ZK bridge to Ethereum.” Over the long run, this bridge will allow users of different Polygon CDK networks to access each other’s liquidity, making the network part of a larger ecosystem.

The Polygon ecosystem originally consisted of just the Polygon Proof of Stake network. On March 27, the Polygon team launched a second network, Polygon zkEVM. In June, they announced plans to integrate these two networks into a new ecosystem called “Polygon 2.0.”

The Optimism ecosystem added a second network on August 9, as Coinbase launched Base network. On October 3, the Optimism team launched a fraud-proof system that's intended to be used throughout its ecosystem.

Polygon 2.0 — MATIC conversion to POL outlined in preliminary improvement proposals

September 14, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

The Ethereum layer-2 developer has introduced the first improvement proposals to begin the transition to its Polygon 2.0 ecosystem.

Polygon Labs’ vision of an interconnected layer-2 Ethereum ecosystem powered by zero-knowledge cryptography begins in earnest following three inaugural improvement proposals that will begin the transition to Polygon 2.0.

The scaling technology firm unveiled Polygon 2.0 in June 2023, outlining plans for a scaling ecosystem made up of four protocol layers. The staking, interop, execution and proving layers all play a role in creating an interconnected ecosystem of chains that enable fast value transfer and information sharing.

1/ The wait is over. Polygon 2.0 implementation kicks off now with the release of 3 Polygon Improvement Proposals (PIPs), and a roadmap for Phase 0.https://t.co/gk7FW0zCpc pic.twitter.com/YJo3BtQy4y
— Polygon (Labs) (@0xPolygonLabs) September 14, 2023

Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal recently unpacked how the ecosystem aims to become the value layer of the internet by using zero-knowledge (ZK) technology to provide low-fee, high-throughput performance to the wider Ethereum ecosystem.

Polygon released three Polygon Improvement Proposals (PIPs) on Sept. 14 for community consideration and voting that are earmarked to begin taking place in the final quarter of 2023.

The PIPs outline technical details for “Phase 0” of the establishment of a network of interconnected ZK-powered layer-2 chains that scale Ethereum. This includes a proposal for the transition and specifications that will see MATIC (MATIC) tokens become POL tokens, which will become the Polygon proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol’s native token.

PIP-17 will include the initiation of the upgrade from MATIC to POL. This includes its transition to POL as the native gas token and staking token for the Polygon ecosystem, as well as the launch of the staking layer and migration of Polygon public chains.

PIP-18 includes the technical description of POL tokens as well as accompanying contracts that will handle emission and token migrations. POL tokens can be migrated at a 1:1 ratio from existing MATIC tokens. The PIP notes an initial supply of 10 billion and a yearly emission of 2% equally distributed between validator staking rewards and a community treasury.

Lastly, PIP-19 proposes the update of the native gas token on Polygon PoS from MATIC to POL while ensuring maximum backwards compatibility.

Polygon’s announcement notes that PIP-19 will not change contracts on Polygon PoS, while the properties of the protocol’s native token will not change either. However, contracts on Ethereum that are awaiting MATIC from the native MATIC bridge may be affected by the upgrade.

Magazine: Here’s how Ethereum’s ZK-rollups can become interoperable

Ethereum’s proto-danksharding to make rollups 10x cheaper – Consensys zkEVM Linea head

September 8, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

Consensys zkEVM Linea head Nicolas Liochon says speed and execution will continue to increase as it tweaks its Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution.

Zero-knowledge proof (ZK-proofs) solutions have proved critical in helping scale the Ethereum ecosystem, but proto-danksharding is expected to drastically reduce the cost of roll ups according to Consensys’ zkEVM Linea head Nicolas Liochon.

Speaking exclusively to Cointelegraph Magazine editor Andrew Fenton during Korea Blockchain Week, Liochon estimated that proto-danksharding could further reduce rollup costs by 10 times.

Proto-danksharding, also known by its improvement proposal identifier EIP-4844, is aimed at reducing the cost for rollups, which typically batch transactions and data off-chain and submit computational proof to the Ethereum blockchain.

The Ethereum Foundation is yet to nail down an expected launch data for proto-danksharding but development and testing is still ongoing.

As Liochon explained, Linea delivers 15 times cheaper transactions compared to those made on Ethereum’s layer one, but rollups are still limited by the fact that transactions are posted in calldata in Ethereum blocks.

According to Ethereum’s documentation, rollups are still expensive in terms of their potential because calldata is processed by all Ethereum nodes and the data is stored on chain indefinitely despite the fact that the data only needs to be available for short period.

EIP-4844 will introduce data blocks that can be sent and attached to blocks. The data stored in blobs is not accessible to the Ethereum Virtual Machine and will be deleted after a certain time period - which is touted to drastically reduce transaction costs.

“In reality, the cost of rollups is down to data availability. We are writing all the data to layer one which is why we have exactly the same security. But it’s expensive, it represents 95% of the cost.”

Liochon said that Linea’s prover, which essentially handles the off-chain computation that verifies, bundles and then creates a cryptographic proof of the combined transactions, only represents a fifth of the cost.

This highlights the major hurdle in making ZK-rollups the go-to scaling solution for the Ethereum ecosystem as opposed to other solutions like Optimistic rollups.

Liochon also said that Linea aims to be a general use ZK-rollup that will be used for a variety of decentralized applications and solutions within the Ethereum ecosystem.

"We are a generic rollup. We don't want to have a specific use case or specific domain. It's quite important to support all type of applications, including DeFi, gaming and social."

As Cointelegraph previously reported, Consensys has completed the launch of Linea in Aug. 2023, having onboarding over 150 partners and bridging more than $26 million in ETH.

Magazine: Here’s how Ethereum’s ZK-rollups can become interoperable

ZK-proof Web3 infrastructure developer gets backing from Binance Labs

August 22, 2023 Coin Telegraph

binance Labs

Delphinus Lab is building a zero-knowledge proof rollup service aimed at powering Web3 application development.

Zero-knowledge proof technology continues to garner interest and investment as Binance Labs becomes the latest firm to invest in ZK-proof powered infrastructure being developed by Delphinus Lab.

Binance’s venture capital arm announced a strategic investment into Delphinus Lab’s zero-knowledge WebAssembly (zkWASM) virtual machine. The zkWASM is being labeled as the first known open-source virtual machine to support ZK computation and application software development kits.

Cointelegraph can exclusively reveal that Binance Labs is investing $2.2 million into Delphinus Lab, with the funds set to facilitate the ongoing development of its application rollup platform zkWASM Hub, which will provide automated proving and batching services for Web3 applications.

We're excited to announce we've invested in @DelphinusLab!

Delphinus Lab is an infrastructure provider that has implemented the first known open-source zkWASM virtual machine that supports trustless computation and application SDKs.https://t.co/geWtkfBShm
— Binance Labs Fund (@BinanceLabs) August 21, 2023

WebAssembly (WASM) remains an important cog across the wider internet as a virtual machine that allows code from popular programming languages to be run natively on web browsers. WASM was developed in a collaboration including Google, Mozilla, Microsoft and Apple in 2017.

The infrastructure aims to facilitate the development ZK applications across different developer languages that can be deployed across WASM-supported environments. ZK-proof technology is widely touted to increase the security and privacy of decentralized applications.

The zkWASM Hub will also allow developers to distribute GitHub applications into its ecosystem through its auto compilation and updating service.

Binance Labs also noted that Delphinus Lab has implemented several application-specific software development kits in different languages across multiple applications. This includes dynamic programmable NFTs, fully on-chain games, high-performing trustless Central Limited Order Book (CLOB) and trustless oracles.

A statement from Delphinus Lab founder and CEO Sinka Gao highlighted the firm’s hopes to see Web3 decentralized applications (DApps) created that combine Web2’s “robustness” with Web3s “decentralized, trustless" nature:

"Our zkWASM Hub introduces a streamlined multi-chain execution layer for developers to easily deploy and manage their WASM-backed apps in a dynamic rollup environment.”

Binance Labs also noted that it was looking to employ its venture funds into the wider ecosystem with a focus on projects that enable scalability, while looking into application layers that could onboard more users to Web3.

The spokesperson added that its investment focus was on innovative technology and critical infrastructure that is power new sectors. This includes modular blockchain, liquid staking decentralized finance protocols and ZK-proof solutions.

As Cointelegraph has explored at length, ZK-proof technology has proved to be influential in helping scale the Ethereum ecosystem. A number of prominent companies including the likes of Consensys, Polygon and ZK-proof pioneers StarkWare have been at the forefront of ZK-powered technologies and infrastructure development.

Decentralized Web3 data service Space and Time is using ZK-proof technology to cryptographically verify information queries within its ecosystem. The firm's Proof of SQL generates a SNARK cryptographic proof of a query within its decentralized data network, allowing users to trust that a data query is accurate and has not been manipulated.

Magazine: ZK-rollups are ‘the endgame’ for scaling blockchains: Polygon Miden founder

Global Crypto Users To Explode to 1,200,000,000, Predicts Former Goldman Sachs Executive – Here’s His Timeline

August 1, 2023 The Daily Hodl

Privacy, scaling drives use cases for zero-knowledge technology

April 18, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Adoption

Zero-knowledge technology has seen significant growth in adoption within the blockchain space in 2023, according to an inaugural quarterly report published by ZKValidator.

A quarterly report focused on zero-knowledge (ZK) technology indicates that privacy, scaling and identity solutions are significant drivers of adoption in the blockchain space.

Validator service provider ZKValidator’s report titled “The State of ZK” explores insights from the zero-knowledge space, highlighting major and emerging use cases, research, product launches and notable investment rounds.

The key takeaway focuses on use cases of zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs). The cryptographic method allows one party to verify data or a statement without exposing the information. Privacy stands out as the industry’s most significant driver of adoption at 12.9%. Scaling is the second most prominent use case for zero-knowledge technology, with 9.46%.

Identity solutions and new zero-knowledge use cases rank third and fourth, indicating that the blockchain ecosystem is interested in exploring how zero-knowledge technology can be applied in identity management and other novel applications. Zero-knowledge machine learning (ZK-ML) was also identified as the space’s most attractive new use case.

Insights were driven by the company’s work with industry participants, including ZK Hack, zkSummit, rhino.fi, Geometry and University College London. ZKValidator also gleaned data and information working with participants in the production and management of the Zero Knowledge Summit 9 in Lisbon on April 4.

The launch of Polygon and zkSync’s zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine’s (zkEVM) was also highlighted in zkValidator’s report, with key data from the two Ethereum scaling protocols.

*A comparison of zkSync Era and Polygon zkEVM users and total value locked since their mainnet launches in March 2023. Source: The State of ZK: Q1 2023*

Having launched over a month ago, zkSync Era has attracted more daily active users than Polygon’s zkEVM. The report speculates that rumors of a possible zkSync airdrop later in 2023 may be a reason for the gulf in user numbers between the two zkEVMs.

The report also covers the development of new products, including Geometry’s Semacaulk, a new zero-knowledge set membership protocol that offers gas savings over Merkle-tree constructions, while ensuring proofs can be generated quickly and verified for roughly the same gas cost.

2022’s $7 million ZPrize competition helped drive innovation of ZK technology, with multiscalar multiplication (MSM) on Android mobile devices stemming from the development competition aimed at fostering ZK solutions. According to ZKValidator’s report, MSM improved proof generation time from 2.4 seconds to around half a second, making mobile payments in ZK easier.

The report also mentioned a paper proposing a fast GPU-accelerated zero-knowledge proof system that reduces proof generation time in ZK-proofs by leveraging hardware similarities of GPUs. Graphics processing units (GPUs) have become highly useful hardware for cryptocurrency miners, given its ability to process data simultaneously, and its use for machine learning, video editing and gaming.

Various other zero-knowledge projects were also identified in the fields of decentralized identity, interoperability and payments within the Ethereum and Polkadot ecosystems in 2023.

This includes Telepathy, a Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) interoperability protocol for Ethereum. The protocol allows users to read Ethereum state on any chain while retaining the security of Ethereum’s light client protocol.

Sismo Connect was also mentioned, which is a privacy-preserving single sign-on method for applications on both Web2 and Web3. The technology allows developers to implement ZK technology in their applications.

Lastly, the Manta Network also expanded its ZK capabilities, allowing for privacy support for nonfungible tokens and soul-bound tokens.

Investments were also highlighted, with Ethereum research and development firm The =nil; Foundation raising $22 million to continue the development of the Proof Marketplace. The solution allows layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains to outsource the production of ZK-proofs.

Zk-proof developer Proven raised $15.8 million in a seed round, while Polyhedra Network raised $10 million for its blockchain interoperability infrastructure platform.

Zero-knowledge rollups have been in the spotlight throughout the first quarter of 2023. Polygon released its open-source zkEVM Ethereum scaling technology to mainnet on March 27, while several Ethereum decentralized finance protocols have adopted zkSync since its alpha launch in March 2023.

Magazine: ZK-rollups are ‘the endgame’ for scaling blockchains: Polygon Miden founder

Arbitrum’s Daily Transaction Count Surpasses Ethereum for the First Time Ever

February 23, 2023 Bitcoin.com

Combined Transactions on Arbitrum and Optimism L2 Chains Outpace Ethereum’s Daily Transfer Count

January 15, 2023 Bitcoin.com

ConsenSys launches zkEVM private beta testnet

December 13, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

The software has received over 150,000 signups so far.

According to a new blog post on Dec. 13, Web 3.0 ecosystem developer ConsenSys unveiled its zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) network for private beta testing. Designed and operated by ConsenSys, developers can deploy and manage decentralized applications using tools such as MetaMask, Truffle, and Infura as if they were using EVM directly. In addition, users can bridge assets between the Goerli testnet and the zkEVM to test their smart contracts and decentralized applications, or dApps.

"Testnet participants can also bridge tokens, transfer tokens, and interact with deployed dApps listed on our upcoming ecosystem portal page. We intend to learn whether the developer experience of the zkEVM has the potential to accelerate innovation in Web3 and will be evaluating feedback from the community to inform our next step."

For years, ConsenSys has been working to wrap EVM computation in zero-knowledge proofs to create a zkEVM, as opposed to creating zk-rollups on networks separate from the EVM. Zero-knowledge technology verifies transactions on a separate layer and sends computation back to Ethereum without sending back the entire data. By simply providing proof that everything was correctly computed on layer two and putting a succinct proof back to the blockchain, Ethereum developers estimate that rollup solutions such as Optimism can increase scalability by upwards of 100x.

1/
Roll up, roll up!

We're proud to announce the private beta release of ConsenSys' zkEVM testnet, available on @Infura_io

Sign up below: https://t.co/hKtsvoPaTG
— ConsenSys (@ConsenSys) December 13, 2022

User onboarding for the new ConsenSys zkEVM will begin in January 2023. ConsenSys says there are currently no details regarding how early testers will be rewarded or if there will be a newly issued token tied to the zkEVM.

zero-knowledge

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