In a groundbreaking development earlier this year, Polygon Labs and Toposware developers made a remarkable breakthrough in zero-knowledge (ZK) proving technology. They successfully developed a Type 1 ZKEVM prover, a significant milestone for the industry. This achievement was made possible by the expertise and contributions of Toposware, a renowned blockchain research and engineering company.
Today, Polygon Labs has taken a major leap forward by acquiring Toposware, a strategic move that is set to propel the entire ZK community. This acquisition aims to integrate Toposware’s team with Polygon’s existing ZK development teams, driving innovation across various technological fronts such as the AggLayer, Polygon CDK, Polygon zkEVM, and potentially upgrading Polygon PoS to a ZK validium, pending community approval. By bringing together their collective ZK expertise, this collaboration seeks to further enhance Polygon’s capabilities.
Toposware has played a crucial role in ZK technology as leaders in ZK research. Their development of the Type 1 prover, an open-source contribution to the Ethereum ecosystem, allows any EVM chain to become a ZK proof-based chain and connect to Ethereum. This upgrade offers better security guarantees and cost-effective proving for Ethereum, with an average per-transaction cost of just $0.0029 and a total cost of $0.534 to prove an Ethereum block.
The integration of Toposware will have significant downstream effects across all Polygon (MATIC) protocols. Ongoing research, with community consensus, aims to connect the Polygon PoS network to the AggLayer in the coming months, eventually upgrading it to a ZK-secured chain. Toposware’s expertise will play a pivotal role in ensuring seamless integration and enhanced security.
Polygon Labs continues to lead in ZK research and development, turning industry theories into reality. The adoption of Plonky3, an open-source technology used to build SP1, is rapidly advancing, with other ZK teams relying on Polygon Labs’ research for their own development work. The acquisition of Toposware is expected to bring fresh insights and innovations to the entire ZK space.
In conclusion, Polygon Labs’ acquisition of Toposware marks a significant leap forward in ZK technology. By integrating Toposware’s expertise and innovative solutions, Polygon Labs is poised to lead the next wave of ZK proving technology, benefiting the entire blockchain ecosystem. The crypto community eagerly anticipates the transformative impact of this strategic move.