Matter Labs Unveils Airbender Prover for 35 Second Ethereum Block Proofs

Matter Labs, the developer firm behind the layer-2 network ZKsync, unveiled its new cryptographic prover "Airbender" at the Permissionless conference on Tuesday. This new prover is a significant advancement in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, which are crucial for linking layer-2 networks with the base layer blockchain, in this case, Ethereum.

A prover is a key component for layer-2 networks as it generates zero-knowledge proofs that are then posted to the base layer blockchain. This process is essential for ensuring the security and integrity of the linked chains. The ZKsync team claims that Airbender is the fastest prover of its kind, delivering Ethereum block proofs in just 35 seconds with a single GPU. This speed outpaces the benchmarks set by its competitors, making it a groundbreaking development in the field.

Having fast speeds can save on transaction fees, which is critical for key use cases such as micropayments, high-frequency trading, and decentralized social applications. Alex Gluchowski, the co-founder of Matter Labs, highlighted the importance of faster proofs in an interview. He stated that faster proofs unlock faster finality, cheaper applications, and crucially, proofs that can be generated anywhere, not just in massive GPU farms. This flexibility is a significant advantage for the adoption and scalability of zero-knowledge applications.

The new prover, which is an open-sourced zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM), is based on RISC-V, a newer programming framework. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has suggested replacing the current Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V to make the blockchain more efficient. Gluchowski mentioned that Matter Labs started building ZKsync Airbender over a year ago, anticipating the future needs of Ethereum and zero-knowledge applications. Buterin's recent post affirming the potential of RISC-V was seen as a validation of their plans, which had been in motion for some time.

While Airbender is still in its early stages of rollout, Matter Labs has released an app that allows developers to test out the new prover. If the ZKsync governance process approves it, Airbender will be included in a protocol upgrade later this summer. Gluchowski emphasized the potential of Airbender, stating that it proves Ethereum blocks in 35 seconds using a single GPU. This development marks the beginning of home-proving, real-time cross-chain user experience, and zero-knowledge applications that can verify on the fly. This foundation is crucial for an Internet of verifiable, interconnected chains, paving the way for a more efficient and secure blockchain ecosystem.