Zero Knowledge Proofs They have been hailed as a major breakthrough for blockchain technology, but the effectiveness of these protocols will require optimized data availability solutions to unlock their full potential.
Anurag Arjun, co-founder of Polygon and the Avail blockchain data availability protocol, highlighted the importance of data availability for ZK accumulated packages in an interview with Cointelegraph.
ZK packages are a layer 2 blockchain scaling solution for blockchain networks that allows transactions to be bundled and sent to a layer 1 blockchain with the provision of cryptographic proof. ZK proofs aim to provide faster and more efficient transaction processing while maintaining the security of a blockchain system.
As Ethereum continues on its roadmap following its switch to proof of stake post mergerData availability will become a major factor in an increasing reliance on cumulative scaling protocols for batching and transaction verification.
Arjun, who is spearheading Avail's growth following the platform's spin-off from Polygon Labs, said future base-layer blockchain protocols will have to optimize data availability for testing, verification and settlement rather than execution.
โIf the execution is scaled by Layer 2 or rollups, the base layer doesn't have to worry about the execution. Now they have to optimize the things they are used for, which is data availability.โ
The transition sees blockchain technology move from a 'monolithic blockchain architecture' to more modular setups like Avail's, which provides infrastructure for ZK accumulations and other off-chain scaling solutions.
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Arjun said that ZK proofs are underestimated since they have removed the need for cryptoeconomic assumptions in blockchain systems:
โIt changes the whole picture, you no longer need these very heavy runtime engines or validator runtime systems because you have ZK's that give absolute proof of execution guarantee. All you need is data availability.โ
The importance of data availability for ZK testing is tied to the nature of the technology, which essentially provides proof of a transaction or network state without revealing the data itself.
"That's why it's called a validity test, it doesn't give any indication of what the data is like."
Providing a protocol that handles data availability also addresses the ongoing costs associated with sending ZK digests and optimistic digests to the Ethereum blockchain, for example.
As Arjun explained, rollups face two main costs when shipping transaction data and proof data, with up to 70 percent of current costs spent on storing transaction data on Ethereum. Transaction data submission costs and proof verification costs could be significantly reduced by using a base layer data availability protocol.
Arjun added that proofs and data go hand in hand even though ZKs provide verifiable mathematical proofs or an on-chain "absolute proof of execution guarantee" without disclosing data or that the data needs to be verified.
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