Blockchain
Zero-Knowledge Proof Experts as the Future of Blockchain Scalability
With the focus on web3, scalability is becoming a challenge for blockchain networks, preventing them from matching traditional financial systems.
Advanced cryptographic techniques, such as zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), and scalability solutions such as ZK rollups are emerging as key solutions.
Rollup Zk involves the grouping of thousands of transactions off-chain, reducing the data load of the main blockchain while offering a high level of privacy and faster completion times.
Experts like Vitalik Buterin believe it could become central to blockchain scaling strategies. The Ethereum co-founder has written several articles explaining his vision for rollups to scale Ethereum, which has been plagued by network congestion and rising costs.
Buterin in particular approve zero-knowledge rollups thanks to their potential for greater productivity and immediate finality of transactions.
Other industry experts such as Eli Ben-Sasson of Stark ArticlesAlex Gluchowski of zkSync and Barry Whitehat of the Ethereum Foundation also advocate for zk-rollups for their scalability and security benefits.
But are ZKPs the final piece of the scalability puzzle?
According to Mike Voronov, Fluence’s head of research and development, the answer is a little more complex.
Speaking to crypto.news, Voronov acknowledged the advantages of this approach, such as “stronger security guarantees” and “shorter withdrawal periods.” However, he added that, like other scaling methods, it has its “own set of pros and cons.”
In ZKPs, the process of generating and verifying proofs is computationally intensive due to the need to run complex cryptographic algorithms. These algorithms ensure that proofs are both secure and concise, which is essential for maintaining the privacy of transactions on blockchain networks.
“It cannot be universally stated that ZKPs are the definitive solution in every possible situation. […] not to mention the increased complexity involved in researching and implementing ZK protocols.”
Voronov stressed that other approaches, particularly anti-fraud ones, offer a comparable balance between performance and security.
Fraud proofing in Optimistic Rollups allows users to validate off-chain transactions by challenging suspicious ones. Once challenged, the invalidity of these transactions is established on the main chain, ensuring safety through subsequent verification.
This approach requires fewer resources than ZKPs because it only processes computational checks when a transaction is specifically challenged, rather than proactively verifying each transaction.
However, he added that the strength of ZKPs lies in their cryptographic guarantees, which Optimistic Rollups lack due to their reliance on fraud proofs.
“Compared to other scaling solutions such as optimistic rollups, sharding, fraud proofs, and state channels, ZKP-based solutions typically provide much stronger cryptographic guarantees and impose less on-chain economic and infrastructure burden.”
Francisco Leal, CTO of Talent Protocol, agrees, adding that the success of recent ZK-focused projects such as Synchronization AND Star Network indicate that “ZK technology is already highly mature and promising”.
“Different systems have different needs, making it unlikely that a single solution can universally address all use cases. Therefore, diversity in scaling solutions is likely to persist, reflecting the different needs of different blockchain applications,” Leal told crypto.news.
According to the CTO, Optimistic rollups are currently the biggest competition for ZK rollups. He pointed out that zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), especially zk-SNARKs and zk-STARKs, are at a disadvantage due to their computationally intensive nature and the increasing demands for proof generation and verification.
However, with advances in computing power, Leal expects this phenomenon to “diminish” soon.
Investor enthusiasm for zero-knowledge technologies has increased, resulting in multi-million dollar investments. Key contributors include StarkWare, guarantee 100 million dollars with a valuation of $6 billion, and zkSync, which raised 200 million dollars.
Meanwhile, Polygon Labs has significantly stepped up its commitment to zero-knowledge initiatives, injecting 1 billion dollars in the field.
When asked whether ZK rollups could help blockchain networks reach a level that matches or surpasses their traditional counterparts, both executives were optimistic.
Voronov stressed that such an undertaking would require “full standardization of Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) protocols and associated tools.” Meanwhile, Leal stressed that “efficiency of proof generation and verification” currently acts as a “bottleneck” and needs improvement.