2024 was a significant year for ZKM, with several key milestones and technical developments contributing to a solidified status of thought-leadership in the ZK space. Here we provide an overview of these achievements and begin to outline the future direction for our technology and ecosystem contributions.
Early in the year, the Entangled Rollup litepaper introduced a unique trust-minimized protocol designed for multi-chain interoperability. Conceived by ZKM's research team, the mechanism aims to address liquidity fragmentation and improve inter-chain interactions in an unprecedentedly secure manner. The system leverages zkMIPS to provide a framework for secure and efficient blockchain connectivity: ER Litepaper
The Alpha Testnet for zkMIPS offered developers the opportunity to test our verifiable computation platform for the first time and provided an environment for assessing zkMIPS’ capabilities in handling various applications. Efforts to optimize the architecture are ongoing as the team prepares for its Mainnet release: Alpha Testnet
ZKM participated heavily in the first major @HouseofZK event at EthDenver, with the team leading workshops focused on zkMIPS and the Entangled Rollup design. The event was successful in enhancing engagement with developers and researchers, helping to establish ZKM as a key entity in the ecosystem: EthDenver Highlights
The zkMIPS 2.0 whitepaper detailed the architectural updates and functional enhancements made to zkMIPS since the original whitepaper, serving as a technical resource for developers and researchers aiming to work with or contribute to zkMIPS: zkMIPS Paper
The ZKM Proof Network was developed to address computational challenges in proof generation when using zkMIPS. By providing a scalable solution, it enables developers to integrate zkProofs into applications with reduced resource requirements: ZKM’s Proving Service
ZKM featured prominently in the second major House of ZK event at EthCC Brussels, participating alongside other industry leaders in various talks and panels, addressing ZK for scalability, interoperability, and more: House of ZK Brussels
ZK Spaces was introduced to facilitate discussions on ZK-related topics, emphasizing education, developer relations, research, and practical implementation challenges. The initiative has created a platform for the ZKM team to share current ideas and insights with the ZK community: ZK Spaces 05 (most recent).ZK Day at SBCZKM co-hosted House of ZK’s ‘ZK Day’ alongside Aleo during the Science of Blockchain Conference in New York City, also serving as Platinum Sponsors to the main SBC event: ZK Day
House of ZK Virtual Conference 1.0ZKM co-sponsored the House of ZK Virtual Conference alongside StarkWare, also giving a set of comprehensive presentations on zkMIPS and the Entangled Rollup. Other key talks came from Eli Ben-Sasson, Justin Drake and Vanishree Rao, with Vanishree claiming this to be her “new favourite conference alongside SBC”: Virtual Conference ReportZKM in Thailand
The team conducted workshops and panels during events at Invisible Garden, an Ethereum-organized ZK developer hub, followed by ZK Hub, a House of ZK mega-event bringing together the ZK ecosystem, and other events during DevCon: ZKM in Thailand
Initial benchmarks for zkMIPS demonstrated competitive performance with other leading zkVMs. Results identified both strengths and optimization opportunities, providing direction for ongoing refinement: zkMIPS Competitive Performance Report
The most recent significant update to zkMIPS, v0.2.0, simplifies ZK development with the introduction of the Rust Toolchain, a Project Template, and Upgradeable Precompiles:
More information about v0.2.0 can be found here.The ZKM BlogThroughout 2024, several key articles released on the ZKM blog explored the theoretical and practical aspects of ZK and its applications, including:
“How a General-Purpose zkVM Achieves Network Effects” by Kevin Liu, CEO: This article analyzes how zkVM architectures, like zkMIPS, create network effects by enabling seamless integration across diverse blockchain environments, outlining how general-purpose zkVMs can drive broader adoption and unlock new opportunities for developers and users alike.
“The Why of ZKM” by Ben Wynn: This foundational piece dives into the core motivations behind ZKM’s mission, detailing the challenges of blockchain scalability and interoperability and how ZKM aims to address them through its zkVM and Entangled Rollup technologies.
“Cross-Chain Asset Transfer Without a Bridge” by Jeroen van de Graaf: Building on ZKM’s initial research on the subject, this article offers an improved understanding of the mechanism for trustless cross-chain asset transfers, highlighting solutions to existing fragmentation and security issues in multi-chain ecosystems.
In addition to these highlights, the blog covered a wide range of other topics, including a detailed piece on the proving process of zkMIPS, a deep-dive into circle STARKs, emerging use cases for zkMIPS, among others: ZKM Blog
@GOATRollup will be the first project to fully utilize zkMIPS, serving as the first Bitcoin L2 to share network ownership and offer a mechanism for sustainable yield. This initiative integrates zkMIPS with a BitVM2-based Optimistic Challenge Protocol and decentralized sequencers to offer the most secure solution on the market for making Bitcoin scalable and programmable. GOAT Network ultimately aims to establish a trust-minimized framework for cross-chain interaction, showcasing zkMIPS’ potential as the backbone infrastructure of real-world blockchain interoperability.
Furthermore, research is ongoing to enhance the zkMIPS proof system, in addition to improving the types of proofs supported and optimizing their generation. These upgrades aim to make zkMIPS the most competitive zkVM on the market, ensuring higher efficiency, scalability, and adaptability for various applications.
Overall, the progress achieved in 2024 reflects the collective efforts of the diligent and hard-working ZKM team and we remain deeply committed to making state-of-the-art ZK technology accessible to the masses.
2024 was a significant year for ZKM, with several key milestones and technical developments contributing to a solidified status of thought-leadership in the ZK space. Here we provide an overview of these achievements and begin to outline the future direction for our technology and ecosystem contributions.
Early in the year, the Entangled Rollup litepaper introduced a unique trust-minimized protocol designed for multi-chain interoperability. Conceived by ZKM's research team, the mechanism aims to address liquidity fragmentation and improve inter-chain interactions in an unprecedentedly secure manner. The system leverages zkMIPS to provide a framework for secure and efficient blockchain connectivity: ER Litepaper
The Alpha Testnet for zkMIPS offered developers the opportunity to test our verifiable computation platform for the first time and provided an environment for assessing zkMIPS’ capabilities in handling various applications. Efforts to optimize the architecture are ongoing as the team prepares for its Mainnet release: Alpha Testnet
ZKM participated heavily in the first major @HouseofZK event at EthDenver, with the team leading workshops focused on zkMIPS and the Entangled Rollup design. The event was successful in enhancing engagement with developers and researchers, helping to establish ZKM as a key entity in the ecosystem: EthDenver Highlights
The zkMIPS 2.0 whitepaper detailed the architectural updates and functional enhancements made to zkMIPS since the original whitepaper, serving as a technical resource for developers and researchers aiming to work with or contribute to zkMIPS: zkMIPS Paper
The ZKM Proof Network was developed to address computational challenges in proof generation when using zkMIPS. By providing a scalable solution, it enables developers to integrate zkProofs into applications with reduced resource requirements: ZKM’s Proving Service
ZKM featured prominently in the second major House of ZK event at EthCC Brussels, participating alongside other industry leaders in various talks and panels, addressing ZK for scalability, interoperability, and more: House of ZK Brussels
ZK Spaces was introduced to facilitate discussions on ZK-related topics, emphasizing education, developer relations, research, and practical implementation challenges. The initiative has created a platform for the ZKM team to share current ideas and insights with the ZK community: ZK Spaces 05 (most recent).ZK Day at SBCZKM co-hosted House of ZK’s ‘ZK Day’ alongside Aleo during the Science of Blockchain Conference in New York City, also serving as Platinum Sponsors to the main SBC event: ZK Day
House of ZK Virtual Conference 1.0ZKM co-sponsored the House of ZK Virtual Conference alongside StarkWare, also giving a set of comprehensive presentations on zkMIPS and the Entangled Rollup. Other key talks came from Eli Ben-Sasson, Justin Drake and Vanishree Rao, with Vanishree claiming this to be her “new favourite conference alongside SBC”: Virtual Conference ReportZKM in Thailand
The team conducted workshops and panels during events at Invisible Garden, an Ethereum-organized ZK developer hub, followed by ZK Hub, a House of ZK mega-event bringing together the ZK ecosystem, and other events during DevCon: ZKM in Thailand
Initial benchmarks for zkMIPS demonstrated competitive performance with other leading zkVMs. Results identified both strengths and optimization opportunities, providing direction for ongoing refinement: zkMIPS Competitive Performance Report
The most recent significant update to zkMIPS, v0.2.0, simplifies ZK development with the introduction of the Rust Toolchain, a Project Template, and Upgradeable Precompiles:
More information about v0.2.0 can be found here.The ZKM BlogThroughout 2024, several key articles released on the ZKM blog explored the theoretical and practical aspects of ZK and its applications, including:
“How a General-Purpose zkVM Achieves Network Effects” by Kevin Liu, CEO: This article analyzes how zkVM architectures, like zkMIPS, create network effects by enabling seamless integration across diverse blockchain environments, outlining how general-purpose zkVMs can drive broader adoption and unlock new opportunities for developers and users alike.
“The Why of ZKM” by Ben Wynn: This foundational piece dives into the core motivations behind ZKM’s mission, detailing the challenges of blockchain scalability and interoperability and how ZKM aims to address them through its zkVM and Entangled Rollup technologies.
“Cross-Chain Asset Transfer Without a Bridge” by Jeroen van de Graaf: Building on ZKM’s initial research on the subject, this article offers an improved understanding of the mechanism for trustless cross-chain asset transfers, highlighting solutions to existing fragmentation and security issues in multi-chain ecosystems.
In addition to these highlights, the blog covered a wide range of other topics, including a detailed piece on the proving process of zkMIPS, a deep-dive into circle STARKs, emerging use cases for zkMIPS, among others: ZKM Blog
@GOATRollup will be the first project to fully utilize zkMIPS, serving as the first Bitcoin L2 to share network ownership and offer a mechanism for sustainable yield. This initiative integrates zkMIPS with a BitVM2-based Optimistic Challenge Protocol and decentralized sequencers to offer the most secure solution on the market for making Bitcoin scalable and programmable. GOAT Network ultimately aims to establish a trust-minimized framework for cross-chain interaction, showcasing zkMIPS’ potential as the backbone infrastructure of real-world blockchain interoperability.
Furthermore, research is ongoing to enhance the zkMIPS proof system, in addition to improving the types of proofs supported and optimizing their generation. These upgrades aim to make zkMIPS the most competitive zkVM on the market, ensuring higher efficiency, scalability, and adaptability for various applications.
Overall, the progress achieved in 2024 reflects the collective efforts of the diligent and hard-working ZKM team and we remain deeply committed to making state-of-the-art ZK technology accessible to the masses.
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