In the past, doing zero-knowledge was like building your own mining farm: hardware, proof systems, recursion, on-chain verification... everything had to be managed. Succinct's approach is more like an 'electric grid': creating a decentralized network for proof computation, where those with tasks place orders and those with computing power take orders; after proof production, use a universal verification path to quickly accept it on-chain. The official homepage puts it plainly—'making zero-knowledge easy for everyone.' The network has accumulated over 5 million proofs, connected with over 35 ecosystem partners, and provided secure infrastructure for over $4B in assets.

This 'electric grid' relies on two main devices:

SP1 zkVM: A 'universal proof computer' for developers, allowing direct programming in Rust, compiling to RISC-V ELF, and then generating proofs that can be accepted on EVM without having to write circuits manually.

Prover Network: A decentralized network for computing power providers, turning task distribution, proof production, and reward settlement into a market. In August 2025, the network announced the launch of its mainnet, and foreign media reported based on the on-chain public announcement.

How to achieve 'on-chain acceptance' quickly and economically? A common route is: SP1 compresses a large number of sub-proofs into a single aggregated proof using high-performance STARK recursion off-chain, and then uses Groth16's STARK-to-SNARK packaging to reduce the verification cost to about 300,000 gas on EVM, suitable for scenarios that require frequent on-chain acceptance, such as rollups and light clients.

From the usage side, it resembles a ZK order assembly line:

1. dApp/protocol packages computations (such as block synchronization, signature verification, large-scale Merkle verification) into SP1 tasks;

2. Prover Network accepts orders and produces proofs;

3. Results are accepted on the target chain through a universal verification contract;

4. Computing power, both parties settle according to the rules. In the full chain, the engineering work of 'you build the factory and I provide the electricity' has been 'abstracted' by the network.

Performance is another main line. In mid-2024, the team released a production-level version including GPU Prover and published benchmark tests; by January 2025, SP1 Turbo (v4.0.0) was launched, further reducing costs and latency, focusing on 'extreme performance for various ZK workloads'; industry communications even quoted 'Ethereum mainnet block proof <40s' as a measured result. In plain language: run faster, spend less.

Why is a 'decentralized proof network' important? Because ZK is no longer just serving privacy, but also undertaking basic functions such as cross-chain security (ZK light clients), rollup finality, and batch verification. Upgrading 'proof' from a 'single project' to a 'public service' means more teams can spend their time on business rather than infrastructure.

In the past, you had to provide electricity and repair the lines yourself. Succinct allows you to use ZK like 'plugging into a socket'—plug and play, measurable, settleable, and governable.

@Succinct #SuccinctLabs $PROVE