Succinct, which raised $5,500 in funding, is a top-tier ZK project led by Paradigm in two rounds.
The core product of this top-tier ZK project is SP1, currently the fastest zkVM.
• Performance leading, proof speed is up to 28 times faster than other zkVMs, with costs as low as a fraction of others.
• Supports writing ZKP in Rust, reusing existing code libraries, improving development efficiency by 100 times.
• Supports production-level use cases, audited by top firms, and adopted by major projects like Polygon and Celestia.
I. What is SP1?
SP1 is a universal zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) that allows developers to write ordinary code in Rust (or any LLVM-compilable language) and generate efficient zero-knowledge proofs to verify the correct execution of programs.
Simply put, SP1 enables developers to quickly build verifiable computing applications with cryptographic security using familiar programming languages, without delving into complex cryptographic theories.
SP1's core innovation is dramatically lowering the development threshold for zero-knowledge proofs while maintaining top-tier performance and flexibility. It makes ZKP as simple as writing regular software, allowing blockchain infrastructure (such as Rollups, cross-chain bridges, oracles, etc.) to achieve verifiability through maintainable code.
Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) can prove the correctness of a computation without revealing any input data. This capability has infinite application scenarios in blockchain:
- Scalability: Through Rollup, ZKP can compress large numbers of transactions into a single proof, significantly reducing the main chain's burden.
- Interoperability: ZKP can verify states across different chains, promoting cross-chain communication.
- Privacy: ZKP ensures transaction or state privacy, protecting user data.
- Bridges and Oracles: ZKP allows trustless on-chain verification of off-chain data or computations. However, traditional ZKP development complexity is a "nightmare".
The emergence of SP1 completely changes this situation.
II. SP1's Characteristics
1. Currently the Fastest and Strongest zkVM
4-28 times faster than other zkVMs in actual blockchain workloads (such as light client verification, Rollup, etc.), even comparable to hand-optimized dedicated circuits. Its latest version SP1 Turbo (v4.0.0) can verify ETH mainnet blocks in just 40 seconds when running on GPU clusters, with costs as low as a few cents.
2. Supports Writing ZKP in Rust
SP1 allows developers to write ZKP logic in Rust and directly reuse existing Rust ecosystem libraries (such as revm, reth, alloy, etc.).
Developers can directly modify existing blockchain node code to generate ZKP, avoiding the trouble of writing complex circuits from scratch.
3. Precompilation: Performance's Secret Weapon
SP1 introduces a "precompilation" mechanism that highly optimizes common cryptographic operations (such as keccak, sha256, signature verification, etc.). These precompilations significantly reduce computational overhead, giving SP1 an edge in handling complex blockchain workloads. For example, SP1 runs a ZK Tendermint light client, directly reducing verification time from 2.2 hours to 4.6 minutes.
4. 100% Open Source, Code Security
SP1 is 100% open source (MIT/Apache 2.0 license). Its modular architecture allows developers to customize "precompilations" to optimize performance for specific use cases. Unlike traditional closed-source zkVMs, SP1 embraces community contributions, attracting developers from teams like Polygon, Celestia, and Sovereign Labs to collaborate on improvements.
SP1 has undergone multiple audits by top ZK security companies and achieved "zero high-risk vulnerabilities" in public audit competitions.
5. High-Quality Partners
Polygon, Celestia, Avail, Taiko, and others have adopted Succinct's SP1 to build ZKP, securing over $1 billion in on-chain assets (TVL). From Rollups to cross-chain bridges, from oracles to privacy protocols, SP1 is becoming the standard for blockchain infrastructure.
III. SP1's Application Scenarios
SP1 implements many use cases in blockchain:
- Rollup: Build ZK Rollup with SP1, generating zero-knowledge proofs for state transitions, connecting to main chains like ETH or Bitcoin to achieve high throughput and low cost. For example, OP Succinct uses SP1 to provide a production-grade proof engine for OP Stack.
- Cross-chain Bridges: SP1 can verify Layer 1 consensus (such as Tendermint or ETH light clients), constructing secure and efficient cross-chain bridges. For example, SP1 Blobstream verifies Celestia's data root on ETH, while SP1 Vector relays Avail's Merkle root to ETH.
- Interoperability: Through SP1, Rollups can achieve rapid finality and interoperability, supporting projects like Polygon's AggLayer.
- Oracles: SP1 supports large-scale off-chain computations (such as historical state queries, on-chain machine learning) and generates on-chain verifiable proofs, significantly reducing Gas costs.
- Privacy: SP1 can implement private transactions and states, protecting user data security.
- Aggregation: SP1 can aggregate similar ZKPs, further reducing on-chain verification costs, with projects like Nebra exploring this direction.
