Ethereum Foundation Plans zkEVM Launch for 2024 to Boost Scalability and Privacy

The Ethereum Foundation has unveiled an ambitious roadmap that includes the integration of zero-knowledge technology into the Ethereum network. The foundation aims to launch a zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) on the layer-1 network within the next year. This development is part of a broader effort to enhance the scalability and privacy of the Ethereum blockchain.

The zkEVM is designed to enable private and efficient transactions without compromising the security and decentralization of the network. By leveraging zero-knowledge proofs, the zkEVM can verify the validity of transactions without revealing any underlying data, thereby improving privacy and reducing computational overhead. This initiative is expected to significantly boost the network's capacity to handle a larger number of transactions, making it more suitable for widespread adoption and use in various applications.

In a post by Sophia Gold, a developer in the Ethereum Foundation’s protocol support team, the foundation outlined a path toward replacing traditional block execution with zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs). Instead of requiring every validator to re-run transaction blocks to verify them, the system will switch to validators only checking ZK-proofs, which are tiny cryptographic receipts that confirm everything was done correctly.

The roadmap proposes allowing validators to verify execution using stateless proof verification from multiple zero-knowledge virtual machines (zkVMs), which means having multiple independent checkers verifying multiple proofs. This adds an extra layer of security without slowing things down.

ZK-proofs are a cryptographic method that enables a prover to validate a claim without disclosing information about the claim itself. It allows the verification of confidential data without disclosing the data itself. The Ethereum Foundation’s initiative positions the Ethereum network to eventually become the world’s largest ZK application.

To support the transition, the network will define real-time proving as a technical and hardware standard that zkVM teams should aim for. The Ethereum Foundation is pushing zkVM teams to follow specific goals to make sure that the technology is fast, secure and can be run from home. More specifically, the foundation wants zkVMs to create proofs in under 10 seconds, be secure and work on hardware costing less than $100,000 and uses less than 10 kilowatts of electricity. This would allow everyday people to help secure the network, protecting Ethereum against censorship and central control.

Ethereum’s ZK rollout will be gradual, with optional ZK clients running alongside current validator setups. However, as ZK clients prove reliability and performance, the network will shift to requiring proof verification instead of re-execution. While the timeline seems ambitious, the Ethereum Foundation said the momentum in ZK research and open source developments makes it achievable. The foundation urged zkVM teams to work toward real-time home proving.

The Ethereum Foundation's commitment to integrating zkEVM technology underscores its dedication to advancing the capabilities of the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring it remains at the forefront of blockchain innovation.