Author: Yue Xiaoyu

Gootor, the founder of Web3Caff, has put forward a very important point, and here are some further thoughts:

Ethereum is undergoing ZK transformation, and ZK provers require hardware acceleration. Just like Bitcoin mining has hardware dependencies, ZK mining could potentially become a new type of PoW.

The economic model of Ethereum may ultimately evolve into a coexistence of PoS and PoW, forming a new "hybrid consensus" model.

Next, let's take a closer look at the underlying logic of the above assumptions.

1. Ethereum is undergoing ZK transformation

The basic principle of ZK (Zero-Knowledge Proof) is that one party can prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any other information.

This is a very promising technology.

Currently, ZK technology is mainly applied in the blockchain field for scalability.

Vitalik Buterin has been actively promoting ZK technology, and due to his willingness and inclination, the Ethereum Foundation has also invested in various ZK projects.

However, the infrastructure layer of ZK projects has a relatively long cycle, so what ordinary users can currently perceive are various ZK Rollups, which are ZK-based Ethereum Layer 2 solutions.

Typical representatives include zkSync, Starknet, Polygon zkEVM, Scroll, Linea, etc.

These are all integrating ZK technology into Ethereum's execution layer.

Ethereum itself is also gradually undergoing ZK transformation.

ZK transformation of the consensus layer (e.g., Beam Chain proposal): By ZK-ifying the verification process of consensus operations, the consensus process can be simplified and accelerated.

ZK transformation of the data layer: Only storing proofs without storing all transaction data can significantly reduce on-chain storage requirements.

Through these methods, Ethereum can significantly enhance its network performance, including transaction processing speed, cost, and privacy protection, while maintaining its decentralization and security.

The introduction of ZK technology is seen as part of Ethereum's long-term expansion strategy to meet higher user demands and application complexities.

2. Why does ZK need to combine with hardware?

While the advantages of ZK have been mentioned, the biggest obstacle currently facing ZK is the performance issue of generating ZKPs (Zero-Knowledge Proofs).

The operational mechanism of ZK is to allow the verifier to combine multiple transactions into a single, concise proof, which is then submitted to the mainnet, ultimately achieving scalability for the mainnet.

However, ZK also has limitations, as the process of generating proofs is resource-intensive in terms of time and effort.

Due to the need for many complex mathematical operations, such as exponentiation, inverse operations, and bilinear pairing calculations, the creation of proofs often slows down.

Relying solely on software optimization cannot further enhance performance, so hardware integration is necessary. By using dedicated hardware for acceleration, the proof generation speed can be improved from hours to seconds, which would be a significant enhancement.

Therefore, ZK has hardware dependencies and requires specialized chips.

As the application of ZKP technology in privacy computing, blockchain scalability, and other fields gradually increases, the speed and efficiency of ZKP generation have become bottlenecks, leading to a growing market demand for hardware.

3. How can PoS and ZK mining be combined?

If ZK hardware acceleration is adopted, it can lead to hardware mining, resulting in a new economic model.

What is ZK mining?

Traditional PoW (Proof of Work) mining relies on solving complex mathematical problems, while ZK hardware mining focuses on the ability to quickly generate ZKPs.

Similar to PoW mining, participants can compete based on the speed and efficiency of generating ZKPs, with the first participant to generate a valid proof receiving a reward.

How specifically can PoS and ZK be combined?

In a PoS system, validators (i.e., stakers) are responsible for verifying transactions and proposing new blocks. ZK proofs can be used to verify the correctness of a block or a series of transactions, enhancing security and reducing verification costs.

While performing their PoS duties, validators can generate ZKPs as additional proof of their work. Validators who successfully generate and submit valid ZKPs can receive additional rewards on top of the existing block rewards.

These rewards could be in the form of ETH or some internal form of reward within the network (such as a specific token or a portion of gas fees).

Mainnet block rewards can be divided into two parts, forming a layered reward system: one part for traditional PoS validation and the other based on the node's contribution to ZK proof generation.

Thus, it can be seen that ZK can enhance PoS validation, and ZK mining can serve as an extension of PoS staking.

Stakers can earn additional rewards by participating in ZK-related work, in addition to staking ETH for PoS rewards. For example, stakers can run ZK proof generation nodes, providing computational resources to support the application of ZK technology.

However, this is just a proposed possibility. To integrate ZK technology into Ethereum's existing PoS mechanism, modifications or extensions to the current PoS protocol would be necessary to accommodate the role of ZK proofs.

Moreover, a fair incentive model must be designed to ensure that it neither undermines the incentive effects of PoS nor promotes the application of ZK technology.

4. Will ZK mining introduce new positive externalities?

One of the most criticized aspects of Ethereum's transition from PoW to PoS is the lack of externalities introduced into this "closed" economic system.

PoW has externalities, requiring energy and hardware, thereby extending the economic activities of the blockchain to the outside world and impacting the real world.

In a PoS system, the qualification for validating blocks is primarily based on the amount of tokens held (i.e., staking), and economic activities are more concentrated on staking and transactions within the network, rather than involving extensive mining production, electricity markets, and other external industries like PoW.

ZK acceleration hardware, like PoW mining machines, requires specialized hardware, but the issue of "inefficient power consumption" will be reduced. This is because PoW competes for block rights by solving mathematical problems, while ZK mining generates valid proofs to verify transactions without requiring different nodes to perform repetitive, ineffective labor.

5. AI and ZK computing power sharing

Furthermore, a ZK computing power market may emerge, and even AI computing power and ZK computing power could be shared.

There may be integrated platforms in the market that provide comprehensive computing services to support both AI and ZK task computing needs.

Users could process high-performance computing AI tasks and ZK proof generation tasks on the same platform.

At the protocol level, integration could also occur: creating smart contracts or protocols that allow AI computing power providers to participate in ZK proof generation or utilize ZK technology to verify AI computation results.

Computing power could also be dynamically allocated: resources could be allocated based on task demands. For example, when AI task demands are low, these resources could be used for generating ZK proofs, and vice versa.

6. Leading players in ZK hardware acceleration

Currently, the leading project in the ZK hardware acceleration space is Cysic.

Cysic focuses on designing and producing application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and GPU acceleration solutions to speed up the ZKP generation process.

Cysic has designed two hardware products:

ZK Air: A lightweight ZK device, roughly the size of a laptop power adapter, with computing power equivalent to 10 RTX 4090 GPUs, suitable for individual users.

ZK Pro: A more powerful device, with performance equivalent to 50 RTX 4090 GPUs, designed for large ZK projects such as zkRollup and zkML.

In addition to hardware, Cysic also provides a set of CUDA libraries that support various ZKP systems such as Plonky2, Gnark, Halo2, RapidSnark, etc. These libraries can significantly enhance performance, improving it by at least 50% compared to open-source frameworks.

At the same time, Cysic has an ecosystem, Cysic Network, primarily aimed at integrating and managing community computing resources, connecting ZK project parties, computing power providers, and community validators to form a reliable computing power network.

In simple terms, Cysic Network is a ZK mining pool and SaaS platform.

Currently, Cysic has collaborated with multiple zkRollup projects, demonstrating the practicality and market demand for its products.

In addition to Cysic, there is another very distinctive project worth mentioning: Scroll.

Unexpectedly, the "disgraced" Scroll is making significant strides in ZK hardware acceleration.

Compared to other ZK Rollup projects, Scroll can be said to take a different approach by starting with hardware, developing dedicated ZK acceleration hardware (GUP), and forming its own competitive barrier, which is also Scroll's biggest differentiating competitive advantage.

Just looking at this point, Scroll is indeed a very hardcore project.

However, Scroll and Cysic have different positions: for Scroll, hardware acceleration is part of its overall Layer 2 solution; while Cysic is dedicated to providing hardware acceleration services for the entire ZKP ecosystem.

7. Conclusion

In conclusion, here are the key points of this article:

Ethereum is undergoing ZK transformation: Ethereum is implementing scalability and enhancing privacy by introducing zero-knowledge proof (ZK) technology, which has been applied in both the consensus layer and data layer to improve network performance.

ZK requires hardware acceleration: Due to the resource-intensive nature of generating zero-knowledge proofs, hardware acceleration (such as ASICs and FPGAs) is seen as a necessary means to improve efficiency.

The combination of PoS and ZK mining: A new economic model is proposed, where ZK mining serves as an extension of PoS, allowing stakers to earn additional rewards by providing ZK computing capabilities, forming a model of coexistence between PoS and PoW.

ZK mining introduces new positive externalities: Compared to PoW, ZK mining may reduce ineffective energy consumption but still requires specialized hardware, incentivizing hardware production and technological innovation.

AI and ZK computing power sharing: AI and ZK computing tasks may share hardware resources, forming a comprehensive computing service market.

Leading projects in the market: Cysic and Scroll are leaders in the ZK hardware acceleration field, with the former focusing on providing hardware for the ZK ecosystem and the latter incorporating it as part of its Layer 2 solution.

Finally, the ZK hardware acceleration space is beginning to take shape. As Ethereum continues its ZK transformation, ZK hardware acceleration will become increasingly important and may even reverse the economic model of Ethereum, making it worthwhile for us to keep a close eye on this space.

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。