The collaboration between Arbitrum and Succinct is not surprising. Some have asked whether Arbitrum is abandoning Optimistic Rollup and moving to ZK Rollup, but this does not appear to be the case. Arbitrum's core technology remains based on Optimistic Rollup, and its collaboration with Succinct is currently focused on integrating zero-knowledge proofs (ZK Proofs) into Arbitrum's bridging mechanism. For Arbitrum, Succinct's SPI zkVM technology can be leveraged to enable cross-chain bridging to use ZK proofs to verify transactions, reducing trust assumptions and improving security while also reducing costs and increasing speed. Specifically, the goal is to develop a ZK-based bridging system that supports asset transfers between chains like Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova. Succinct's proof generator handles complex computations without relying on multi-signatures or oracles. The goal is to reduce bridging times from minutes to seconds while maintaining decentralization. In other words, Arbitrum is currently adopting a "hybrid enhancement" strategy rather than a "complete pivot."

The long-term trend is this