Aligned Layer: scalable ZK proof verification on EigenLayer
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Explains Aligned Layer as a SNARK-agnostic verification layer using restaking and proof aggregation, since verifying proofs directly on Ethereum is slow and costly. Union uses it for Groth16 proofs; it went from a $2.6M seed to a $20M Series A in 10 days.
Key claims
Aligned went from a $2.6M seed to a $20M Series A in 10 days
It verifies any SNARK type using Ethereum's validator set
Union integrates it to cut Groth16 verification cost
Scalable ZK Proof Verification. Powered by @eigencloud.
Meet @alignedlayer. ♾✨
The scalable verification layer for zero knowledge (ZK) proofs built on top of @eigencloud that leverages cutting-edge technology such as restaking and proof aggregation.
What's the Problem?
Ethereum wasn't originally designed to handle ZK proofs. Integrating new primitives into Ethereum to enable the chain to handle evolving proof systems is hence a slow & challenging process.
Equally, verifying proofs on Ethereum is comparably slow and expensive.
What's the Solution (Universal Proof Support)?
@alignedlayer will fix this and extends Ethereum to serve as a highly efficient and cost-effective platform for SNARK verification.
As a credibly neutral piece of infra, @alignedlayer is not favoring any specific type of SNARK. It will enable cost-effective verification of any type of SNARK proof, leveraging the security provided by Ethereum's validator set without being constrained by the limitations of the Ethereum blockchain.
The main focus simply lies on supporting the development and research communities across various proof systems and offering the infrastructure for a future of trustless applications leveraging verifiable computation and Ethereum's security in tandem.
Why does it matter?
@alignedlayer can serve as a cost-efficient verification layer for ZK-powered interoperability (one example of this is the @union_build integration), which allows Union to improve the efficiency of verifying its CometBLS based Groth16 proofs.
Additionally, @alignedlayer could serve as a verification layer for execution proofs submitted from L2s, streamlining the process and increasing efficiency significantly.
What else is noteworthy?
I have been following @fede_intern and some other people from @class_lambda for a while and was bullish from the moment i learned about them building this.
They might not have expected the insane hype around it right away, but very impressive how they took @alignedlayer from a $2.6M seed to a $20M Series A in 10 days!
💰 Seed:
💰 Series A:
The Endgame?
This is the kind of modular infrastructure that is only possible thanks to the generalization of Ethereum's security that @eigelayer allows for.
ZK tech (a.k.a. scalable and efficient generation and verification of succinct proofs) is the next frontier and verifiable computation is a key concept, even beyond the modular infra space.
In combination with other @eigencloud-based building blocks like @lagrangedev's universal proving layer, this kind of technology will build the basis on which we build a fully trustless Web3 that is ready for mass adoption.
Cheers to the @alignedlayer team and everyone else working on all this cool tech! 🥂
Bullish. 🎯
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