Privacy, scaling drives use cases for zero-knowledge technology

2 years ago

A quarterly study focused connected zero-knowledge (zk) exertion indicates that privacy, scaling and individuality solutions are large drivers of adoption successful the blockchain space.

Validator work provider zkValidator report's titled 'The State of ZK' delves into insights from the zk space, highlighting large and emerging usage cases, research, merchandise launches and notable concern rounds.

The cardinal takeaway focuses connected usage cases of zero-knowledge proofs. The cryptographic method allows 1 enactment to verify information oregon a connection without exposing the accusation itself. Privacy stands retired arsenic the astir important operator of adoption from the manufacture astatine 12.90%. Scaling is the 2nd astir salient usage lawsuit for zk exertion with 9.46% interest.

Identity solutions and caller zk usage cases fertile 3rd and fourth, indicating that the blockchain ecosystem is funny successful exploring however the zk exertion tin beryllium applied successful the areas of individuality absorption and different caller applications. Zero-knowledge instrumentality learning (zkML) was besides identified arsenic the astir charismatic caller usage lawsuit wrong the space.

Insights were driven by the company’s enactment with manufacture participants, including ZK Hack, zkSummit, rhino.fi, Geometry, and UCL. zkValidator besides gleaned information and accusation moving with participants successful the accumulation and absorption of the zkSummit 9 successful Lisbon connected 4 April.

The motorboat of Polygon and zkSync’s zkEVMs (Ethereum Virtual Machine) was besides highlighted successful zkValidator’s report, with cardinal information from the 2 Ethereum scaling protocols.

Having launched implicit a period ago, zkSync Era has attracted much regular progressive users than Polygon’s zkEVM. The study speculates that rumors of a imaginable zkSync airdrop aboriginal successful 2023 whitethorn beryllium a crushed for the gulf successful idiosyncratic numbers betwixt the 2 zkEVMs.

The study besides covers the improvement of caller products, including Geometry's Semacaulk, a caller zk acceptable rank protocol that offers state savings implicit Merkle-tree constructions, portion ensuring proofs tin beryllium generated rapidly and verified for astir the aforesaid state cost.

2022’s $7 cardinal ZPrize competition helped thrust innovation of zk technology, with multi-scalar multiplication (MSM) connected Android mobile devices a effect of the improvement contention aimed astatine fostering zk solutions. According to zkValidator’s report, MSM improved impervious procreation clip from 2.4 seconds to astir fractional a second, making mobile payments successful zk easier.

The study besides mentioned a insubstantial proposing GZKP, a accelerated GPU-accelerated zero-knowledge impervious strategy that reduces impervious procreation clip successful ZKP by leveraging hardware similarities of GPUs. Graphics processing units (GPUs) person go highly utile hardware for cryptocurrency miners fixed their quality to process information simultaneously, successful summation to their usage for instrumentality learning, video editing and gaming.

Various different zk projects were besides identified successful the fields of decentralized identity, interoperability and payments wrong the Ethereum and Polkadot ecosystems successful 2023.

This includes Telepathy, a zkSNARK interoperability protocol for Ethereum. The protocol allows users to work Ethereum authorities connected immoderate concatenation portion retaining the information of Ethereum's airy lawsuit protocol.

Sismo Connect was besides mentioned, which is simply a privateness preserving azygous sign-on method for applications connected some web2 and web3. The exertion allows developers to instrumentality zk exertion successful their applications.

Lastly the Manta Network besides expanded its zk capabilities allowing for privateness enactment for nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and psyche bound tokens (SBTs).

Investments were besides highlighted, with Ethereum probe and improvement steadfast The =nil; instauration raising $22 cardinal to proceed improvement of the Proof Marketplace. The solution allows furniture 1 and 2 blockchains to outsource the accumulation of zk proofs.

Zk-proof developer Proven raised $15.8 cardinal successful a effect round, portion Polyhedra Network raised $10 cardinal for its blockchain interoperability infrastructure platform.

Zero-knowledge-rollups person been successful the spotlight done the 4th of 2023. Polygon released its open-source zkEVM Ethereum scaling exertion to mainnet connected March 27 while a fig of Ethereum DeFi protocols person adopted zkSync since its alpha motorboat successful March 2023.

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

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