Vitalik Buterin proposes the "sacred zkEVM" to solve the Tier 2 challenge on the ETH

2023-12-14 04:36:28

Buterin’s new proposal solves the scalability problem by building a zero-knowledge ETH machine directly within the ETH workshop itself.

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of ETH Workshop, introduced a new concept for the blockchain platform called the "Zero-Knowledge ETH Virtual Machine (ZK-EVM) in December. 13 blog posts.

The main goal of the proposal is to dramatically improve the efficiency and security of ETH Layer 2 protocols, including optimistic and ZK rollups.

Solving Challenges in Layer 2 Protocols

Buterin’s proposal stems from the need to simplify ETH’s current Tier 2 solution. These protocols are critical to ETH scalability and rely heavily on EVM validation, which currently involves relying on a large and potentially vulnerable codebase.

In addition, ZK-EVMs, which are designed to mimic Layer-1 EVMs, face the challenge of keeping up with major ETH protocol changes, leading to redundant work and increasing the risk of security flaws.

The solution proposed by Buterin involves embedding the ZK-EVM directly into the ETH network. This internal ZK-EVM will take on the task of validating Layer-1 ETH blocks, providing a more efficient and secure method.

The concept of native ZK-EVM has become more and more practical and attractive as ETH has progressed, especially with the development of light clients using ZK-SNARKs.

Core aspects of the proposed ZK-EVM

Buterin envisions that ZK-EVM is primarily concerned with validating ETH blocks by processing inputs such as pre-state roots, blocks, and post-state roots.

This will ensure the integrity of the post-state root as a true result of block execution. The proposal is also in line with ETH Square’s multi-client philosophy, supports the use of different attestation systems, and emphasizes the importance of data availability and auditability.

As Buterin describes, implementing a ZK-EVM comes with a number of design challenges and trade-offs. The basic attributes include:

Compatibility and adaptability: The system should be flexible enough to support a variety of proof systems, reflecting ETH Workshop’s commitment to a multiclient environment.
Ensure data availability: It is essential to enable authentication for different clients.
Emphasis on auditability and upgradeability: Easily check and quickly resolve any issues without a hard fork.
Innovation that supports “almost EVM”: Allows Layer 2 solutions to scale and innovate on top of standard EVM functionality.

A key part of Buterin’s discussion revolves around choosing between an open multiclient system and a closed system with a predetermined proof system, where the proof is verified externally. Buterin advocates for a usable system that, despite its greater complexity, is flexible and compatible with the basic principles of ETH.

Buterin emphasizes that speed is critical to ZK-EVM implementation. With technological advancements in parallelization and hardware acceleration, the goal is to reduce proof generation time, allowing for near-instantaneous processing.

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.