StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson has voiced
$ETH #support for introducing a new virtual machine (VM) to Ethereum but has reservations about adopting the RISC-V architecture. He advocates for exploring blockchain-native VMs optimized for zero-knowledge proofs, such as Cairo, Valida, Miden, or Zisc, or even developing an entirely new VM tailored to Ethereum’s needs. Ben-Sasson emphasizes that these alternatives could offer better scalability and efficiency compared to general-purpose architectures like RISC-V.
For instance, Cairo, developed by StarkWare, is designed specifically for efficient generation of validity proofs, providing a modern, Rust-like language for writing provable programs. This approach allows for optimized validity proofs, with each instruction having an efficient algebraic representation, which is crucial for scalability in blockchain applications. 
Ben-Sasson’s stance highlights a strategic focus on leveraging specialized, zero-knowledge-friendly VMs to enhance Ethereum’s scalability and performance, rather than relying on existing general-purpose architectures.
#starkware #TrumpVsPowell