This project should be familiar to everyone. Today it has also been listed on Binance Alpha. I wonder how much airdrop everyone has received this time. It has been quite a topic recently, but the project is indeed quite good and worth checking out. Let's take a look together:


Does anyone feel that ZK technology has been highly discussed in the past two years? It is said to solve the security, speed, and privacy issues of blockchain, but it seems that there are really not many ZK applications that ordinary people can use.

The problem lies in the fact that ZK is too 'difficult to handle.' It's a bit like giving ordinary people a professional tool without knowing how to use it.

However, recently I have been looking at @SuccinctLabs, and I feel that it might really be able to turn ZK from a specialized tool into an ordinary tool that everyone can use.

Let's first see where ZK is difficult.
The difficulty of ZK lies in its high threshold. In the past, if you wanted to create an application with ZK functionality, you had to be a cryptography expert. Ordinary people couldn't even understand a pile of complex formulas and circuit designs, let alone handle it themselves.

Moreover, blockchain itself is slow; for example, Ethereum can only handle a dozen transactions per second. Initially, one hoped to speed things up with ZK, but generating that 'proof' requires a lot of computation, which small teams simply cannot bear in terms of cost and technical pressure.

If companies want to use ZK to protect user privacy, such as verifying age without revealing specific birth dates, just setting up such a system would require spending a lot of money to hire experts, which ordinary companies simply cannot afford.

Actually, @SuccinctLabs is solving these troubles bit by bit:

Its core is the SP1 zkVM, which is essentially a 'ZK translator.' Previously, writing ZK-related code was like using assembly language, requiring one to wrestle with low-level logic; now, with it, ordinary developers can use the programming languages they are used to, without needing to understand those complex mathematics. It's like switching from assembly directly to Python, significantly lowering the barrier.

They also have a solution for the problem of blockchain slowness. Now, every transaction on Ethereum has to be recalculated across the entire network, which is particularly time-consuming.

Succinct's 'real-time proof' allows everyone to batch process transactions off-chain, generating a ZK proof, and only needing to verify this proof on-chain. As a result, theoretically, the number of transactions that can be processed per second can increase from a few dozen to over ten thousand!

The key point is that even a Raspberry Pi can act as a validation node, and both security and decentralization are not affected. With this speed, it can now achieve 93% of Ethereum blocks completing proof within 12 seconds, which is quite rare in the industry. $PROVE

It's also much easier for companies to use ZK now. The interfaces they provide are simple, so there’s no need to form a specialized cryptography team. For example, the age verification in Google Wallet can prove that you are over 18 without having to disclose your exact birth date, which uses their technical framework behind the scenes.

Now, the industry is increasingly recognizing the value of ZK, believing that it can protect privacy while also meeting compliance needs. This is a favorable industry signal for a company like Succinct that is building infrastructure.

Looking at the actual usage, there are already 35 crypto protocols using its Prover Network, with over ten having officially launched. Among the collaborative projects are well-known names in the industry like Polygon, Celestia, and Taiko. The on-chain assets protected through its network exceed $4 billion, which is quite significant in the ZK infrastructure space.

Some may ask, with so many ZK projects now, what makes it different? The key is that it is not just a specific ZK application but more like an engine for the entire ZK field.

Others may be optimizing ZK on a specific chain, but it is more like AWS for the ZK field. No matter which chain or application you are using, even AI models or enterprise systems, as long as you need to generate a ZK proof, you can use its computing power like calling cloud services.

Its token $PROVE is not a token for a single application but rather the settlement currency for the entire network. All the proof generation requirements on this platform will eventually be settled using $PROVE, and these fees will be distributed to the nodes that stake $PROVE.

This forms a cycle: the more people use it, the more people may be willing to stake, which strengthens the network's computing power, possibly reducing costs, and attracting more users, thereby linking profits and token value.

The team and funding are relatively stable. Paradigm has led two funding rounds in a row, raising over $55 million in total. Institutions like Robot Ventures and Bankless have also invested, along with influential figures in the industry, including co-founders of Polygon.


Founder Uma is from MIT, studying mathematics and computer science, and previously worked at Google Brain in AI; the other founder, John, is from Stanford and was awarded the Thiel Fellowship specifically for entrepreneurship. They both have technical backgrounds and appear to be practical and diligent.

Of course, the $PROVE project also has some potential issues to watch out for:

First is the pressure of technological iteration. ZK technology itself is still rapidly evolving. Even though the current SP1 performs well, new technical solutions are continuously emerging in the industry. If they cannot keep up with the pace of technological upgrades, they may be replaced by more optimal solutions.

Then there's competition. Although there is a certain leading advantage at the moment, other projects in ZK infrastructure are also making efforts. Whether they can maintain the status of 'preferred choice' will depend on the speed of ecosystem expansion.

Additionally, there is a high dependency on the ecosystem. The value of such networks largely depends on the number of applications and nodes connected. If future growth does not meet expectations, the operational efficiency of the $PROVE economic model may be affected.

Finally, there is uncertainty in the regulatory aspect. Although the industry generally recognizes ZK technology, specific landing policies in different countries, especially those involving privacy verification scenarios, may have many compliance details that need to be gradually worked out.

In summary, for ZK technology to truly become widespread, what is lacking is the infrastructure that can lower the usage threshold and provide general computing power.@Succinct What they are doing now is somewhat like paving a wide road for the ZK ecosystem. Once the road is smooth, more people will naturally be willing to use it.

Of course, any new technology has its uncertainties. Its advantages are quite obvious, but the challenges of technological updates, peer competition, and whether the ecosystem can expand are all real issues.

For those interested, you can check out their X account @SuccinctLabs, or join their Discord, read their blog, and learn more. After all, in the field of ZK, projects that can excel in both technical strength and implementation progress are indeed worth paying more attention to! Looking forward to better performance!
#SuccinctLabs