Zero-knowledge rollups, an innovation anticipated to significantly scale blockchains, mandates specific arrangements to ensure its victorious deployment.
Blockchain enthusiasts have recognized zero-knowledge proofs as a groundbreaking development for this technology. However, the efficient functioning of these protocols will hinge on the integration of robust data availability solutions, a crucial component in fully leveraging their potential.
Anurag Arjun, the co-founder of Polygon and the blockchain data availability protocol Avail, underlined the criticality of data availability for ZK-rollups in a recent Cointelegraph interview.
ZK-rollups are a layer-2 scaling solution for blockchain networks that facilitate the bundling and submission of transactions to a layer-1 blockchain along with an associated cryptographic proof. The objective of ZK-proofs is to offer swifter and more efficient transaction processing while upholding the security inherent to a blockchain system.
With Ethereum progressing along its roadmap, particularly after its transition to proof-of-stake following the Merge, data availability is poised to become a pivotal aspect due to the growing reliance on rollup scaling protocols for transaction aggregation and validation.
Arjun, leading Avail’s expansion after the platform’s separation from Polygon Labs, stated that future base-layer blockchain protocols will have to prioritize data availability optimization for proofs, verifications, and settlements over execution.
He mentioned, “If layer 2s or rollups are scaling the execution, the base layer doesn’t have to fret over execution. Instead, they need to focus on their primary use case, which is data availability.”
This shift moves blockchain technology from a “monolithic structure” towards more componentized setups, similar to Avail, which offers infrastructure for ZK-rollups and additional off-chain scaling solutions.
Arjun mentioned that the significance of ZK-proofs is often overlooked, despite their capability to eliminate the need for crypto-economic assumptions in blockchain systems:
He stated, “The scenario changes entirely: Heavy execution engines or validator run systems are no longer needed because ZKs offer a guaranteed execution proof. The only other requirement is data availability.”
The criticality of data availability for ZK-proofs is rooted in the technology’s essence, providing transaction or network state proof without divulging the underlying data.
Arjun explained, “This is why it’s termed a validity proof: It doesn’t divulge any information about the nature of the data.”
By offering a protocol that handles data availability, challenges related to the cost of submitting ZK-rollups and Optimistic Rollups to, for instance, the Ethereum blockchain, are also addressed.
As per Arjun, rollups primarily encounter two costs in submitting transaction data and proof data, with almost 70% of current expenses being allocated towards storing transaction data on Ethereum. By employing a base-layer data availability protocol, the costs associated with transaction data submission and proof verification can be considerably reduced.
He emphasized that despite ZKs providing verifiable mathematical proofs or “guaranteed execution proof” on-chain, without revealing or verifying data, proofs and data are inextricably linked.
For those new to the topic, Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) are cryptographic protocols that allow one party to prove to another that a statement is true, without revealing any additional information beyond the validity of the statement itself. This is a cornerstone of privacy in many blockchain protocols and applications.
The Layer-2 solutions like ZK-rollups are secondary protocols or frameworks built atop an existing blockchain (the Layer-1) to enhance its scalability and efficiency. The transaction processing happens off-chain on the Layer-2 protocol, with the final state being settled on-chain on the Layer-1 blockchain.
Understanding these fundamental concepts and the role of data availability can help you better comprehend the future of blockchain scaling and the potential improvements that protocols like ZK-rollups can bring.