Polygon’s Open-Source Prover Revolutionizes Ethereum Chains with ZK Layer-2s

Polygon, an Ethereum scaling protocol, has developed a new prover called type 1 that enables the use of zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs) in layer-2 functionality for ecosystem chains like optimistic rollups. The co-founder of Polygon, Brendan Farmer, stated that the development of this technology took a year and was made possible with the help of Toposware. The type 1 prover allows the generation of ZK-proofs for Ethereum blocks on the mainnet at an average cost of $0.002-$0.003 per transaction. This technology is available as open source to participants in the Ethereum ecosystem and can be found on GitHub.

The type 1 prover serves as a zkEVM, which means it can upgrade any existing chain, whether it’s the Ethereum layer 1, an optimistic rollup, or an alternative L1, into a zkEVM L2 that can connect trustlessly to Ethereum and participate in the Polygon ecosystem. Farmer mentioned that there were concerns about the practicality and cost of a layer-1 prover in the industry, but the team managed to provide efficiency and cost-effectiveness by proving real mainnet Ethereum blocks at a fraction of a cent per transaction.

This development has significant implications for the broader Ethereum ecosystem as it enables the generation of ZK-proofs for any Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chain. It eliminates the need for users and services to maintain a full node, providing full node security guarantees without the hassle. The technology aligns with the framework of zkEVM proposed by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, where the type 1 prover is considered to have the highest level of compatibility with Ethereum, preserving execution logic like storage structure and hash functions.

The type 1 prover opens up opportunities for optimistic rollups, popular Ethereum layer-2 protocols that bundle transactions off-chain and submit proofs to the mainnet. One drawback of optimistic rollups is the seven-day lock-up period for funds, but by using the type 1 prover and joining the Polygon ecosystem, these protocols can offer a much better user experience and avoid the high costs associated with third-party bridges.

Polygon has chosen to make this technology open source in alignment with the ethos of Ethereum. According to Farmer, this is a significant public good that should be available to anyone, not just a select few. The goal is to provide a more capital-efficient solution and enhance the user experience. In December 2023, Polygon’s co-founder Jordi Baylina outlined the plan to amalgamate the scaling networks and technology to complete the “Polygon 2.0” cross-chain coordination protocol in 2024.