Zero-knowledge proofs have powered the development of Ethereum layer 2s — and now they’re coming to Bitcoin.
Bitcoin (BTC) users will soon be able to make use of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to expedite the process of verifying individual blocks and, eventually, the entire blockchain.
Swiss-based nonprofit ZeroSync Association is developing tooling which allows users to validate the state of the Bitcoin network without having to download the blockchain or trust a third party for verification.
ZeroSync Association is an organization that was formed to develop and maintain open-source software that enables succinct zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) on the Bitcoin blockchain. The group makes use of StarkWare’s proprietary zero-knowledge Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge (zk-STARK) validity proofs to generate ZKPs for the Bitcoin network.
The tool promises to overhaul the process of verifying the Bitcoin blockchain, which still requires node operators to download a large amount of data to synchronize the correct state of the Bitcoin network.
ZeroSync is using ZKPs as a means to eventually generate a valid proof to verify the latest state of the blockchain almost instantaneously.
ZKPs have been a revelation for the Ethereum ecosystem, with a variety of different proof methods powering a number of layer-2 scaling platforms including the likes of Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, and StarkNet.
Related: Polygon’s ‘holy grail’ Ethereum-scaling zkEVM beta hits mainnet
An announcement from the ZeroSync Association highlights the promise of ZKPs for blockchain scalability and privacy by providing ‘almost-fixed-size’ proofs verifying large computations.
The project’s work pioneers the application of ZKPs for the Bitcoin network, with the organization describing Bitcoin’s relative simplicity and UTXO model as a unique value proposition for the application of recursive proofs.
ZeroSync Association also notes that the ZKP tools do not require consensus changes or additional trust assumptions for the Bitcoin network and its users. The organization is building a software development kit (SDK) that will allow developers to generate custom validity proof for specific use cases without the need for indepth domain expertise.
ZeroSync is in the process of building a client for fast initial block download (IBD) as well as implementing the first full proof of Bitcoin consensus. The client will allow users to sync a full node without making any code changes to Bitcoin Core.
ZeroSync is using the Cairo programming language, pioneered by StarkWare to create STARK-provable programs for computations.
ZeroSync’s tool is currently in prototype state but has the ability to prove the validity of individual assumed valid blocks, which verify all Bitcoin rules except for Scripts. The team also has a working in-browser demo verifier for STARK proofs of Bitcoin blocks.
The ZeroSync Association was initially funded by Geometry and StarkWare but is establishing a non-profit entity to enable ongoing development and maintenance from stakeholders within the Bitcoin community.
A statement from StarkWare president and co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson, who co-invented zk-STARKS, summed up the magnitude of ZKPs coming to the Bitcoin ecosystem:
“After years of frustration about slow syncing, users will be able to sync with the network much faster, and with less computation. It’s a technological leap akin to the transition from slow dial-up internet to high-speed broadband.”
Lightning Labs, the team behind Bitcoin layer-2 Lightning Network payment system, is a contributing partner to ZeroSync’s project.
The firm intends to use ZeroSync to power compressed transaction history proofs for its Taproot Asset Representation Overlay (Taro) protocol, which aims to power the issuance of digital assets on the Bitcoin blockchain.
