A Kind 1 prover represents the utmost compatibility with the Ethereum blockchain, requiring no modifications to any Ethereum element for proof technology. This consists of hash performance, storage construction, or any consensus logic.
On February 8, Polygon Labs unveiled its newest innovation – a zero-knowledge Ethereum Digital Machine (zkEVM) Kind 1 prover. This new element permits any community that’s Ethereum EVM appropriate to launch its personal Layer-2 community powered by zero-knowledge proofs.
Thus, any blockchain community would have the ability to simply join with Polygon’s broader ecosystem utilizing the aggregation layer and with out the necessity to fork the community. This encompasses tasks corresponding to Manta, Canto, and Celo. Moreover, Polygon’s zkEVM prover will supply compatibility with Kind 2 zkEVMs at a lowered value.
Launched in January, Polygon’s aggregation layer presents a substitute for prevailing scaling narratives, corresponding to monolithic and modular blockchains. It focuses on centralizing scaling efforts round its unified AggLayer, a protocol geared toward providing cross-chain person expertise.
The Polygon crew hailed the discharge as a major achievement and a technological milestone. Even Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has praised this improvement as essential for making auxiliary layer-2 networks nearly as highly effective as the bottom blockchain.
Significance of Kind 1 Rover
A Kind 1 prover signifies the best degree of compatibility with the Ethereum blockchain, requiring no alterations to any side of Ethereum for proof technology. This encompasses hash performance, storage construction, or any consensus logic.
Brendan Farmer, co-founder of Polygon, explains that Kind 1 zkEVMs entail efficiency trade-offs in proof technology, necessitating extra computation. Nevertheless, they finally improve the scalability of Ethereum’s layer-1 itself. He added:
“Delivering a performant Kind 1 zkEVM was seen as impractical and cost-prohibitive. Polygon has once more demonstrated that it leads the trade within the improvement of ZK expertise by delivering a Kind 1 zkEVM that’s insanely environment friendly.”
The Polygon crew has devoted over 16 months to creating the proving system – Plonky2. By year-end, they anticipate releasing Plonky3, promising important efficiency enhancements.
The brand new Kind 1 zkEVM prover is fully open supply whereas that includes a twin license below MIT and Apache 2.0. Each licenses entail minimal restrictions, though customers making substantial code modifications should point out the adjustments.
Constructing Strong zkEVM Structure
The Polygon blockchain will not be the primary to introduce this architectural idea. Final August, Risc Zero unveiled its “Kind 0” zkEVM, often known as Zeth, which launched a flexible programming language akin to the Ethereum Digital Machine (EVM).
Not like Kind 1 zkEVMs, Kind 0 zkEVMs are engineered to allow builders to tailor and alter their zero-knowledge stack aligning with varied networks, corresponding to zkSolana. Nevertheless, in line with Farmer, this versatility might include barely larger prices.
Farmer anticipates that within the upcoming weeks, the efficiency of Polygon’s zkEVM prover will improve by roughly 35%, rendering it roughly 50 instances cheaper in comparison with its counterparts.
