Ethereum Integrates zkEVM for 99% Real-Time Block Validation

Ethereum is making significant strides in its long-term scalability strategy by integrating the zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) into its layer-1 blockchain. This shift is aimed at achieving efficient, censorship-resistant scaling, a critical goal for the Ethereum Foundation.

Sophia Gold, a developer at the Ethereum Foundation, announced on July 10 that the foundation is targeting the release of the L1 zkEVM within a year. This development marks a pivotal evolution in Ethereum’s scalability efforts, leveraging zero-knowledge (ZK) cryptography to verify claims without revealing underlying data. This technology has already been widely adopted in Ethereum Layer 2 solutions and is now being integrated into the core of the Ethereum chain.

Gold elaborated on the foundation’s design, where validators will have the option to verify zk-proofs instead of re-executing blocks. This approach involves verifying multiple zk-proofs generated by separate zkVMs, each representing different EVM implementations. The foundation is confident that the L1 zkEVM could be operational before the Devconnect Argentina event in November, citing rapid advancements in proving efficiency and hardware design.

A major objective for the upcoming zkEVM rollout is enabling “real-time proving,” where block validation occurs within the network’s 12-second slot time. The zkEVM team defines real-time proving as the ability to generate and verify proofs for 99% of mainnet blocks within 10 seconds, with outliers addressed in future hard forks. The foundation aims to make this process accessible to solo stakers by supporting “home proving,” allowing individuals to participate in zk-proof generation without relying on expensive or centralized infrastructure.

The Ethereum Foundation has set clear technical benchmarks to achieve this goal, including proof latency under 10 seconds, capital expenditure no greater than $100,000, power consumption under 10kW, and proof sizes under 300KiB. Additionally, all code will be open source, and the system must meet a minimum security level of 128 bits.

In parallel with its technical roadmap, the Ethereum Foundation has launched a new Ecosystem Development (EcoDev) team. This initiative is designed to enhance accessibility and drive broader adoption across the network. The EcoDev team will focus on growing the developer community, improving relationships with application builders and enterprises, supporting research, and enabling founders’ success. The team will provide grants, funding programs, and a dedicated launchpad for early-stage projects, with the ultimate goal of growing Ethereum’s user base and strengthening its technical resilience and social infrastructure.