Cosmos News /// by ZKV #118

Modular Summit

Modular Summit ZK Track TL;DR

For this week’s edition, we wanted to share a summary of the Modular Summit ZK Track we curated last week in Brussels. Several teams displayed how they use ZK to tackle different problems that can be applied in the Modular Stack and The Interchain. Some could be leveraged by teams building on Celestia or in various ecosystems. Here’s a summary of the event:

• Current use cases for ZK in Celestia: During the event, two members from Celestia Labs ( Connor O’Hara and Nashqueue) introduced two ways Celestia is using ZK to scale and enhance the experience for developers and users.

  • ZK Accounts: Celestia is working to implement ZK accounts, which leverage zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to ensure trustless account verification. Each ZK account is defined by a ZK-SNARK as its verification key, replacing the traditional public key. When a transaction is made, the proof is generated by the private key, now represented as a program. Additionally, ZK accounts facilitate trust-minimized bridging and liquid staking by embedding arbitrary computation within the proof system, thus enhancing scalability and reducing state overhead.

  • Reducing the computational burden on light nodes: Celestia Labs is working on optimising blockchain synchronisation through the use of recursive ZKPs. This involves creating proofs for block headers that encapsulate the entire chain history, significantly reducing the computational burden on light nodes. They address challenges in incentivising light node operations and aim to make nodes lightweight, ubiquitous, and integral to blockchain security without user intervention.

• ZK Coprocessors: Two teams, RISC Zero  and Lagrange, were on stage, and they explained their different approaches to ZK Coprocessors.

  • zkVMs: RISC Zero’s coprocessors use ZKPs to offload computational tasks from the blockchain to off-chain environments. Developers write programs in Rust, which run off-chain in the RISC Zero’s zkVM and generate ZK proofs to verify correctness. These proofs are then submitted on-chain for state updates, bypassing the need for consensus.

  • Data-Centric Approach: The Lagrange approach to coprocessors focuses on a data-centric model using verifiable SQL. This enables smart contracts to request and verify complex queries on large data sets by indexing blockchain data and translating it into a ZK-optimized structure.

• Proof Aggregation: As the number of ZKPs grows, the need to improve scalability in ZK systems has increased. Here are two solutions that can help solve this.

  • Universal Proof Aggregation: Presented by Nebra, the Universal Proof Aggregation (UPA) combines multiple Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs into a single, aggregated proof. This process reduces on-chain verification costs by using recursive ZK proofs. Different proofs from various circuits, such as zkEVMs or privacy-preserving applications, are batched together. A network of nodes runs the aggregation, producing a final proof submitted on-chain, amortising costs and creating a shared economy of proof processing without compromising decentralisation or security.

  • Mina as a Proof Aggregation Layer: One conclusion from Brandon Kase’s talk on Mina Berkeley Upgrade is that it can act as a proof aggregation layer in a modular ecosystem. Its proof-of-everything model captures all transactions and state changes in a single succinct proof, which can be easily integrated into other blockchain networks or modular components. By generating proofs of arbitrary computation, Mina extends beyond basic transactions to support complex decentralised applications (dApps) and smart contracts.

• Privacy: Last but not least, some privacy use cases were highlighted during the session.

  • Shielded Assets from Penumbra: Henry de Valence from Penumbra was part of a fireside chat exploring shielded assets. One use case for shielded assets is how to expand them into the Interchain, including the Modular Ecosystem. According to Henry, every Penumbra address includes encrypted metadata, allowing users to generate multiple addresses under the same wallet. This ensures privacy during IBC transfers by concealing the link between the sender's long-term account and the transaction, which is crucial for maintaining confidentiality. By embedding encrypted information within addresses, Penumbra enables seamless interaction with IBC while preserving privacy, effectively integrating shielded assets into the broader modular blockchain ecosystem.

  • Private data portability: Tracy presented Pluto, a company that builds privacy-preserving tools that enable data portability and sovereignty on the internet. It utilises TLS protocols combined with novel cryptography to create proofs of data receipt, ensuring the integrity and authenticity of information transferred between web systems. Pluto's web proofs can enhance interoperability in the modular ecosystem, allowing users to extract and use data across various platforms without compromising privacy.

If you want to watch Modular Summit ZK Track, click here.

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