RISC Zero: Zeth for the OP Stack and Steel ZK coprocessor
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Covers RISC Zero's Zeth, a Type-1 zkEVM that can provably build Ethereum and now Optimism blocks, and Steel, a view call proof library that gives the ZK coprocessor access to Ethereum state without writing circuits. Notes the trusted setup concluded on the road to zkVM 1.0.
Key claims
Steel tests above 100K SLOADs (over 210M gas) cut thousands of dollars in fees with one proof
Zeth is the first Type-1 zkEVM to provably build Ethereum blocks
ZK is the endgame and general-purpose zkVMs are key infrastructure that enable a myriad of use cases.
They will be worth billions and the leader in the space is @RiscZero.
Most recently, @RiscZero announced that it will bring ZK fraud & validity proofs to the @Optimism OP Stack with Zeth! 🔴✨
Zeth, built on the R0 zkVM, was launched a few months ago and is the first Type-1 zkEVM that can provably build Ethereum blocks.
Now, Zeth supports provably building and deriving Optimism blocks from Ethereum mainnet, verifying succinct proofs on-chain.
This is in line with @Optimism's vision of building out the Superchain ecosystem, which will consist of a broad spectrum of vertical- and app-specific rollups that share governance & upgradeability within an interoperable framework that allows for customization of the underlying OP stack.
In the context of proof modularity, the OP stack aims to be versatile with regards to the supported state validation mechanisms and @RiscZero's technology is first to enable ZK-powered OP stack rollups out of the box.
But that's not all.
The huge announcement came after @RiscZero dropped some alpha on Steel just a few weeks ago.
What is Steel?
Steel is an Alloy-based view call proof library designed to revolutionize dapp scalability directly on Ethereum L1 and beyond.
✦ No block/txn size constraints.
✦ No excessive gas fees or limits.
✦ No new languages.
With Steel, RISC Zero’s ZK Coprocessor gains access to Ethereum's full state.
Tests surpassing 100K SLOADs* (>210M gas) show Steel can cut $1000s in fees with one proof.
* ) SLOAD stands for "Storage LOAD." It refers to an operation in the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) that reads data from the blockchain's storage.
Steel basically improves Ethereum's block & txn size limits, unlocking new use cases and giving superpowers to builders.
The best of it all: No need to write a single circuit.
Imagine proving ERC-20 balances, batching thousands of signature verifications, proving blob inclusion on @CelestiaOrg, or doing all three in a few lines of code.
Okay cool, but where does @RiscZero stand in the roadmap?
Just recently, RISC Zero’s trusted setup ceremony successfully concluded, marking the first step towards zkVM 1.0
The currently ongoing, second phase is "Audit Reports & Mainnet Verifier".
A fast-growing ecosystem of applications and networks building with @RiscZero tech across all verticals is already emerging as well.
Study @RiscZero anon. 👀
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Zero has written 11 more pieces on RISC Zero since this one.