Ethereum is planning an architectural upgrade with the integration of zero-knowledge technologies that may significantly enhance the security and performance of the network.
Ethereum's Goals for Zero-Knowledge Integration
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced plans to integrate a zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) directly into its layer-1 blockchain within a year. In a post by developer Sophia Gold, the EF outlined a path toward replacing traditional block execution with zero-knowledge proofs. This will allow validators to verify blocks without re-executing transactions, only using ZK-proofs, which are compact cryptographic receipts that confirm operations were performed correctly.
Strategy for ZK-Proof Implementation
According to the EF's initiative, the Ethereum network is set to become the world's largest zero-knowledge application. To support this transition, a technical and hardware standard will be defined for zkVM teams to target. EF aims for zkVMs to generate proofs in under ten seconds, to be secure, and to operate on hardware costing less than $100,000 while consuming less than 10 kilowatts of electricity.
Future of Ethereum with New Technologies
The transition to new technologies will be gradual: optional ZK clients will run alongside current validator setups. Once ZK clients prove their reliability and performance, the network will shift to requiring proof verification instead of re-execution. The EF is confident that the momentum in zero-knowledge research and open-source developments will make these goals achievable.
In conclusion, Ethereum aims for a significant upgrade that could fundamentally change how transactions are processed and verified within the network through zero-knowledge integration.
