From the latest in zkVM progress to breakthroughs in Bitcoin-native infrastructure and cross-chain proof systems, we continue to document the exponential evolution of ZK - and you can catch up on all the news right here, in one place
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Our @eth_proofs Summit brought leading builders together to discuss the current state and future direction of zkVMs, proof interoperability, and verifiable compute infrastructure.
Panels and keynotes covered everything from performance bottlenecks to new execution models.
Here are the recordings we released this week:
This panel tackled the current state of zkVM performance, covering ISA design, compiler-level optimization, and benchmarking gaps across cost, latency, and security: https://youtube.com/watch?v=fPOVf_ESbx0
Moderated by @reka_eth of @RiscZero/@boundless_xyz, and also featuring:
Key Takeaways: https://x.com/HouseofZK/status/1939700684263198973
This panel explored how proof verification can be universal, what infrastructure is still missing, why proof markets need transparency, and whether bridges are obsolete in a zk-native future: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8Uh2N2fAKxc
Moderated by @alicelingl with speakers:
Key Takeaways: https://x.com/HouseofZK/status/1940033048298324025
@schmiddominik1, Co-founder of @0xMiden, delivered a keynote explaining why scalability and privacy require more than just zero-knowledge proofs: they require new state models: https://youtube.com/watch?v=K7g8fIPjqNs
Key Takeaways: https://x.com/HouseofZK/status/1940373473227862067
@BruestleJeremy, CEO of @RiscZero, closed the summit with a roadmap of ZK’s future and introduced @boundless_xyz: : https://youtube.com/watch?v=k9rNvcUl-Ho
Key Takeaways: https://x.com/HouseofZK/status/1940722590164631977
At the Bitcoin Economy Conference in Las Vegas, the spotlight was on real-world zk-powered infrastructure for Bitcoin
We released the recording of a session between ZKM and GOAT Network, breaking down their approach to building a production-grade zkVM-backed Layer 2 with native Bitcoin security and a sustainable yield generation model: https://youtube.com/watch?v=2Y8oWp5gnpIn
@DacEconomy (Chief Scientist, @ProjectZKM) and @sd_eigen (Core Contributor, @GOATRollup) joined @alicelingl to discuss the architecture, real-time proving pipeline, and long-term vision behind GOAT’s ZK-powered Bitcoin L2.
Key Takeaways:
We spoke with some of the builders at @ligero_inc - Venkitasubramaniam and Carmit Hazay - about the future of lightweight, verifiable computation.
Topics Covered:
Ligero operates outside the blockchain paradigm while applying ZK principles to solve trust and verification problems in traditional systems. The result is infrastructure that supports trustless computation even where decentralization isn’t feasible.
We have no doubt that big things are coming from this fantastic team
The zkEthereum ecosystem continues to evolve with new proving systems, tooling, integrations, and production deployments.
Full Post: zkEtherum Latest
Brief Summaries:
@zksync - Released Airbender, a high-speed zkVM delivering sub-second proofs using RISC-V. It proves Ethereum blocks in under 35s with a single GPU, cuts costs by 10×, and supports cross-chain interoperability.
Details: https://zksync.mirror.xyz/ZgRmbYA_EE3wfGcXWv81m-xcED-ppNKkRzkleS6YZRc
@StarkWareLtd/@Starknet - Announced integrations with @gizatechxyz (LuminAIR for verifiable ML) and @NexusLabs' zkVM 3.0, alongside staking upgrades, Cairo dev tooling, and Bitcoin staking proposals.
LuminAIR: https://starkware.co/blog/giza-x-s-two-powering-verifiable-ml-with-luminair/
Nexus zkVM 3.0: https://starkware.co/blog/nexus-stwo-zkvm-scalable-verifiable-computation/
@Scroll_ZKP - Launched Scroll Audit Marketplace and integrated @zkp2p for user-friendly global onboarding.
Audit Marketplace: https://scroll.io/blog/scroll-audit-marketplace
zkp2p Integration: https://x.com/Scroll_ZKP/status/1935684525411238205
@aztecnetwork - Integrated @ZKPassport to verify user humanity with privacy-preserving ZK credentials on testnet.
ZKPassport: https://azt3c-st.webflow.io/blog/zkpassport-case-study-a-look-into-online-identity-verification
@taikoxyz - Strengthened the Taiko Takeoff Program via security audits with @Hashlock_ and new partnerships with @HotcoinGlobal.
Audit update: https://x.com/taikoxyz/status/1935276396827619634
Partnership: https://x.com/taikoxyz/status/1935910482764075412
@0xPolygon - Shared roadmap to 100,000 TPS by 2026. July upgrade brings 1,000 TPS and 5s finality. Long-term vision: real-world payments and tokenized assets.
@ZircuitL2 - Integrated @SindriLabs to optimize SP1 and Jolt zkVM performance, with mainnet launch approaching.
Update: https://x.com/ZircuitL2/status/1938683623504519450
@kroma_network - Shifted to "Intelligence Layer" vision with autonomous agents executing programmable attention flows.
ZK is also becoming foundational to Bitcoin’s scalability. This week’s report continues to survey key developments across the zkBitcoin stack - from BitVM-powered bridges and ZK-based vaults to staking frameworks and native apps
Full Post: zkBitcoin Latest
Brief Summaries:
@StarkWareLtd/@Starknet - Proposed BTC staking via wrapped tokens with STRK rewards, and enabled Bitcoin DeFi features through @XverseApp and @caddyfi. Also launched a dedicated space for Bitcoin development including trustless verification clients.
Proposal: https://community.starknet.io/t/snip-31-bitcoin-staking-on-starknet/115696
BTCFi: https://x.com/Starknet/status/1940041793506025974
CaddyFi: https://x.com/caddyfi/status/1940260464543281266
@GOATRollup - Introduced a BitVM3 ZK proving method using Label Forward Propagation. Enables verifiable encrypted computation using garbled circuits.
Update: https://goat.network/blog/goat-network-brings-bitvm3-into-practical-use
@citrea_xyz - Published deep technical updates on Clementine bridge, Bitcoin light clients, and launched @nectraxyz and @caddyfi protocols on testnet.
Bridge & Client: https://blog.citrea.xyz/citreas-role-in-achieving-verification-on-bitcoin-with-bitvm/
Nectra: https://x.com/citrea_xyz/status/1935713596215828798
CaddyFi: https://x.com/caddyfi/status/1937080839398949247
@fiamma_labs - Launched Isolated Safe™ vaults and integrated @pharos_network and @BNBCHAIN to expand BitVM2 bridges.
Integrations: https://x.com/fiamma_labs/status/1935587717309739255 | https://x.com/fiamma_labs/status/1937480590254834001
@ZeroSync_/@build_on_bob - Co-authored a paper introducing BitVM2-BRIDGE, a trust-minimized Bitcoin bridge verified on mainnet.
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1158
BOB post: https://x.com/alexeiZamyatin/status/1936282721317220725
@FairGateLabs - Unveiled Union Bridge using BitVMX with @rootstock_io, and shared updates on scalable garbled circuits.
Bridge: https://fairgate.io/post/14-union-bridge-a-trust-minimized-bitcoin-bridge
Garbled Circuits: https://x.com/jony_altszul/status/1938349274716393752
@layeredge - Published technical thread on parallel aggregation trees and completed audits with @sherlockdefi and @CertiK.
Thread: https://x.com/layeredge/status/1936796937229115847
Audit: https://x.com/layeredgefndn/status/1938322527581048897
@babylonlabs_io - Announced dual VM design (CosmWasm + EVM), Kraken integration for native BTC staking, and completed Q2 audit.
VM: https://babylonlabs.io/blog/babylon-genesis-dual-vm-model
Kraken: https://babylonlabs.io/blog/kraken-integrates-babylon-bitcoin-staking-protocol-for-btc-staking
Audit: https://x.com/babylonlabs_io/status/1934755367659200759
@BTC_OS - Partnered with @bitdcaOFFICIAL to enable passive Bitcoin savings and practical ZK-powered asset usage.
Update: https://x.com/BTC_OS/status/1938228254349136247
@nubit_org - Released UTXO bundling and USD1 stablecoin integration via Thunderbolt protocol.
@fractal_bitcoin - Shared Q3–Q4 roadmap including opcode experiments, new developer tools, and liquidity improvements.
Roadmap: https://fractalbitcoin.io/updates/fractal-2025-mid-year-roadmap
@TheTNetwork - Added @tBTC_project to @Re7Labs' lending platform using @GearboxProtocol.
Lending: https://x.com/TheTNetwork/status/1937873898911260784
@TaprootWizards - Featured in @Gate_io’s write-up highlighting Ordinals NFTs and future plans including OP_CAT-based smart contracts.
The zkVM ecosystem continues to expand, with updates across proving systems, compiler frameworks, protocol integrations, and hardware acceleration.
Full Post: zkVM Latest
Brief Summaries:
@SuccinctLabs - Released Stage 2.5 of the Prover Network, onboarding new participants and advancing toward mainnet. Also launched Hibachi DEX on @celestia, integrated ZKPs with @AcrossProtocol, and expanded partnerships with @Terminaxyz, @eas_eth, @PrivacyScaling, and @Celo.
Stage 2.5: https://blog.succinct.xyz/stage-2-5-2/
Hibachi: https://blog.succinct.xyz/hibachi/
Across V4: https://x.com/SuccinctLabs/status/1940442119090716721
@ProjectZKM - Published articles on offline memory checking, MIPS32r2 optimization, SNARK compression, and the project’s long-term vision for entangled rollups and GPU-backed proving.
Memory: https://zkm.io/blog/offline-memory-checking-in-zkvm
Why MIPS: https://zkm.io/blog/why-zkm-choosing-the-right-zkvm-for-your-application
SNARK compression: https://zkm.io/blog/zkm-prover-stark-to-snark
Architecture: https://zkm.io/blog/zkm-the-journey-so-far
MIPS vs RISC-V pt.2: https://zkm.io/blog/why-zkm-chose-mips32r2-over-risc-v-part-2-microarchitectural-simplicity-and-constraint-efficiency
@zksync - Introduced Airbender zkVM, delivering sub-second proof generation and proving Ethereum blocks in under 35s using one GPU. Achieves 21.8M cycles/sec on H100 and reduces proving costs 10×.
Launch: https://zksync.mirror.xyz/ZgRmbYA_EE3wfGcXWv81m-xcED-ppNKkRzkleS6YZRc
@NexusLabs - Deployed Testnet III globally and launched partnerships with @Noves_fi and @dynamic_xyz for data indexing and wallet UX.
Testnet: https://blog.nexus.xyz/live-everywhere/
Partners: https://blog.nexus.xyz/partnering-with-noves-to-power-a-aggregated-data-layer/ | https://blog.nexus.xyz/scaling-wallet-onboarding/
@RiscZero/@boundless_xyz - Released Boundless Foundation to support zkVM development, disclosed and patched a security vulnerability in risc0-zkvm, and unveiled Proof of Verifiable Work (PoVW) as a novel incentive system.
PoVW: https://beboundless.xyz/blog/the-last-iteration-of-blockchain-incentives-povw
Security fix: https://x.com/RiscZero/status/1935404812146725042
@brevis_zk - Launched Pico-GPU 1.0, proving Ethereum blocks with GPU acceleration and outperforming SP1 by 25%. V2.0 will add multi-server support.
@ziskvm - Announced open-source release of Zisk, a RISC-V 64 zkVM stack from core @0xPolygon zkEVM engineers. Supports Rust with plans for Go/C#, modular architecture, and custom circuits.
Thread: https://x.com/ziskvm/status/1935307212282593503
@SuccinctJT/@a16zcrypto** - Published SNARK acceleration methods for sum-checks in Spartan/Jolt zkVMs. Optimizations show 2–3× runtime gains and up to 20× in memory-limited contexts.
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1117
@ZorpZK - Released a framework for compiling high-efficiency verifiable circuits from "traversable" languages. Achieved performance parity with top zkVMs using compact circuits.
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1110
@ligero_inc - Open-sourced Ligetron: a lightweight WebGPU-compatible prover supporting full ZKPs on devices from phones to servers.
Update: https://x.com/ligero_inc/status/1937913434789842983
@DelphinusLab - Completed zkWASM testnet with 60,000 users and 1,027 nodes. Apps run as independent rollups, generate proofs, and settle to any chain.
Update: https://x.com/DelphinusLab/status/1934626538735198321
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