Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) technology has been around for many years but has remained trapped in the dilemma of 'fragmented applications': the ZKP solutions of chain A cannot be reused on chain B, developers need to customize proof logic for different scenarios, and small and medium projects are deterred by high barriers, while cross-chain trusted computing remains at the 'theoretically feasible' stage. It was not until Succinct Labs launched SP1 zkVM (Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machine) that this situation was broken—it does not merely optimize ZKP performance but reconstructs the core logic of the ZKP infrastructure: shifting from 'building tools for single scenarios' to 'building a foundation for the entire chain ecosystem.' This article will deeply analyze how Succinct promotes ZKP from 'niche technology' to 'general engine of trusted blockchain computing' from five dimensions: technical paradigm, value logic, developer ecosystem, capital logic, and industry impact.
1. Technical Paradigm: From 'Customized Development' to 'Generalized Engine', SP1 redefines ZKP development logic
The core pain point of traditional ZKP technology lies in 'scenario binding'—ZK-EVM developed for Ethereum cannot be directly used for Solana, and fault proofs designed for Rollups are difficult to adapt to cross-chain asset verification, requiring developers to repeatedly invest resources to tackle technical challenges of 'similar types but different chains.' SP1 zkVM, through its 'generalized engine' design, completely breaks this barrier:
• 'One-time development, multi-chain deployment' underlying support: SP1 is based on a RISC-V architecture as the core compatibility layer, rather than being tied to the specific instruction set of a single chain. This means that developers can write Rust programs based on SP1 without modifying the core logic to generate compliant ZKP for Ethereum, OP Stack, Solana, and even Bitcoin (via BitVM2 adaptation). For example, a cross-chain DeFi project developed a 'cross-chain liquidation proof module' based on SP1, which only required minor adjustments to the on-chain interaction interface to achieve deployment across Ethereum, BNB chain, and Avalanche, reducing development costs by 65%, something traditional customized ZKP solutions cannot achieve.
• 'Functional adaptation of modular expansion': SP1 is not a single virtual machine but a modular system that includes 'pre-compiled function libraries + recursive proof frameworks + hardware acceleration interfaces.' Its built-in pre-compiled functions like SHA256 and Keccak256 cover over 90% of the high-frequency computing scenarios in blockchain; the recursive proof framework supports 'proof aggregation + hierarchical verification,' meeting the batch transaction verification needs of Rollups and adapting to the complex proof aggregation of multi-chain scenarios; and the FPGA acceleration interface (in collaboration with ZAN) acts as a 'performance plugin,' allowing developers to choose between CPU or FPGA for proof generation based on cost needs, offering flexibility far beyond traditional ZKP tools.
• 'Security fallback of formal verification': The formal verification in collaboration with Nethermind is not merely a code audit but mathematically proves the 'general correctness' of SP1—regardless of what applications developers build based on SP1, the generated ZKP complies with cryptographic security standards and will not fail due to differences in on-chain environments. This characteristic completely resolves industry concerns about 'potential security vulnerabilities in generalized engines' and is a core barrier distinguishing SP1 from other zkVMs.
2. Value Logic: From 'On-chain Efficiency Optimization' to 'Cross-chain Trusted Anchors', redefining the industry value of ZKP
In the past, the application of ZKP was limited to 'single-chain efficiency improvement', such as transaction compression of Rollups, EVM privacy computing; however, Succinct extends the value of ZKP to 'cross-chain trusted computing' through SP1, becoming a 'trust anchor' connecting different blockchains:
• 'Trust-minimized bridge' between Bitcoin and smart contract chains: The BitVM2+SP1 solution in collaboration with Fiamma is not a traditional cross-chain bridge, but a set of 'asset verification protocols that do not require third-party endorsement.' Its core logic is: through BitVM2, the ownership of assets on the Bitcoin chain is transformed into hash locking conditions, and then SP1 generates zero-knowledge proofs—provers do not need to expose Bitcoin transaction details to demonstrate 'they control a certain amount of BTC' to the smart contract chain (e.g., Ethereum), and this proof can be directly verified by the smart contract. This solution completely eliminates dependence on centralized custodial institutions, achieving a reduction in cross-chain verification time for a single BTC to 8 minutes by the 2025 testing phase, with asset security completely based on cryptography rather than platform credit.
• 'Trusted collaboration between Celestia data availability and ZKP': The integration of SP1 with Celestia Blobstream resolves the contradiction of 'data being available but computation not being trustworthy' in blockchain. Blobstream is responsible for bringing Celestia's off-chain data availability proofs on-chain, while SP1 can generate 'data computation correctness proofs' based on those proofs—e.g., a DeFi protocol can execute a large number of complex computations (like options pricing models) off-chain on the Celestia chain, proving 'the computation results are consistent with the input data' through SP1, and then syncing the results to the Ethereum mainnet. This collaborative model allows Ethereum to enjoy the low-cost data storage of Celestia while ensuring the trustworthiness of computation results through SP1, expanding new scenarios of 'data + computation' dual trust.
• 'Proof layer enhancement' of LayerZero cross-chain protocol: The PROVE token operates across chains via Layer2, not merely asset mapping, but provides 'cross-chain transaction correctness proof' through SP1. When PROVE is transferred from Ethereum to BNB chain, SP1 generates a zero-knowledge proof that 'this transfer has been finally confirmed on Ethereum' and syncs it to LayerZero's relay node, which does not need to verify the Ethereum mainnet transaction but only validates the SP1 proof to complete cross-chain confirmation. This optimization improves the cross-chain speed of $PROVE by 40% and significantly reduces the verification cost for relay nodes, providing a model of 'proof layer enhancement' for other cross-chain assets in the LayerZero ecosystem.
3. Developer Ecosystem: From 'User Participation' to 'Empowerment of Co-creators', building the 'infrastructure ecosystem' for ZKP development
Most blockchain projects' community operations focus on 'user acquisition,' while Succinct's core logic is 'empowering developers'—transforming developers from 'users of ZKP' into 'co-builders of ZKP infrastructure' by lowering development barriers, providing toolchain support, and establishing ecosystem funds:
• 'Development toolchain with 'zero cryptographic threshold': The SP1 developer kit (SDK) launched by Succinct includes three core modules: Rust code templates, visual proof debugging tools, and multi-chain deployment plugins. Developers can quickly build ZKP applications (e.g., privacy voting, cross-chain asset verification) using templates even if they do not understand elliptic curves, polynomial commitments, and other underlying cryptography; the visual debugging tool can display performance bottlenecks in real-time during the proof generation process, helping developers optimize code; the multi-chain deployment plugin supports one-click deployment of SP1 applications to Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, etc., without manually adapting to the smart contract standards of different chains. By August 2025, this SDK has been adopted by over 500 development teams, generating over 100,000 ZKP test proofs.
• 'Directed support' developer incentive plan: Unlike the traditional 'airdrop distribution of tokens', Succinct's developer incentive plan (SP1 Grants) focuses on 'high-value scenario development', divided into three directions: first, cross-chain trusted computing (e.g., asset interoperability between Bitcoin and smart contract chains); second, Layer2 innovative applications (e.g., decentralized derivatives clearing based on SP1); third, ZKP toolchain optimization (e.g., integration plugins of SP1 with other development frameworks). Each direction invests $10 million in a special fund annually, and requires recipient teams to open source part of their code, giving back to the SP1 ecosystem. By Q2 2025, the first batch of 15 recipient teams has launched applications such as a cross-chain NFT trading platform and decentralized cross-chain lending protocols based on SP1, with 3 projects achieving over 10,000 daily active users.
• 'Technology co-construction model of 'open source collaboration': The core code of SP1 is fully open source and has established a 'contributor grading mechanism'—from junior contributors (fixing documentation errors, submitting small feature optimizations) to core contributors (participating in recursive proof framework, multi-chain adaptation module development), contributors at different levels can receive corresponding $PROVE token incentives and technical decision-making power. As of August 2025, SP1's GitHub repository has over 230 contributors, with more than 5,000 code submissions, 30% of the optimization suggestions coming from external developers, forming a positive cycle of 'core team + community developers' iterating together.
4. Capital Logic: From 'Betting on Track Popularity' to 'Infrastructure Value Investment', reconstructing the capital evaluation standards in the ZKP field
In the 2024-2025 ZKP track financing boom, most capital focuses on 'short-term application landing'; however, Succinct's $55 million financing (seed round + Series A) represents a new capital logic: not looking at the traffic of a single application, but whether the project can become 'infrastructure supporting the long-term development of the industry.' This logic is reflected in two core aspects:
• 'Infrastructure attributes' matching of investors: Lead investor Paradigm is known in the crypto field for 'investing in infrastructure,' and its core logic is 'betting on projects that can define the underlying rules of the industry'; participating funds such as Robot Ventures and ZK Validator have long been laying out Web3 infrastructure (e.g., Celestia, Eigenlayer) rather than short-term speculative application projects; among angel investors, Eigenlayer founder Sreeram Kannan and Polygon founder Sandeep Nailwal are industry practitioners deeply engaged in blockchain infrastructure—these investors share a common demand to enhance their 'infrastructure ecosystem layout' through investing in Succinct, rather than pursuing short-term token appreciation.
• 'Long-term oriented' allocation of financing funds: Succinct's publicly disclosed fund usage plan shows that of the $55 million, 60% is used for SP1 technology iteration (e.g., supporting more programming languages, optimizing cross-chain proof efficiency), 25% for developer ecosystem construction (e.g., Grants fund, SDK optimization), and only 15% for marketing and operations—this ratio sharply contrasts with most projects that 'emphasize marketing, neglect R&D.' For instance, 30% of its R&D investment is specifically allocated for 'Bitcoin chain adaptation' (e.g., BitVM2 protocol optimization, compatibility development of SP1 with Bitcoin scripts), such investments are difficult to yield short-term returns but can fill the infrastructure gap of 'interoperability between Bitcoin and smart contract chains' in the long term, reflecting the long-termism of 'infrastructure investment.'
5. Industry Impact: From 'Single Point Technology Optimization' to 'Ecological Cost Reconstruction', promoting ZKP into the 'scaled application stage'
The core value of Succinct is not to provide ZKP solutions for a specific chain or project, but to lower the 'basic development costs' of the entire ZKP industry through SP1, driving the industry from 'niche attempts' to 'scaled applications':
• Reducing industry development costs: The development cost of traditional ZKP projects is about 70% for 'underlying proof logic development' and only 30% for 'application scenario innovation'; whereas based on SP1, developers can directly reuse the general proof framework, shifting the focus of development towards application innovation, resulting in an overall development cost reduction of 50%-70%. For example, a privacy payment project in the Solana ecosystem went online in just 2 months based on SP1, while similar projects using traditional solutions average 6 months, reducing costs by 60%.
• Catalyzing new application scenarios: The generalization and cross-chain capabilities of SP1 have given rise to scenarios that were previously difficult to achieve: first, 'cross-chain decentralized derivatives,' which achieve non-custodial cross-chain liquidation by proving the consistency of asset prices and positions across different chains through SP1; second, 'trustworthy off-chain big data computing,' which addresses the contradiction of 'high on-chain computing costs and untrustworthy off-chain computing' by generating proofs through SP1 after performing complex data analysis, AI model inference, etc., off-chain, and then verifying them on-chain; third, 'smart contract extensions for the Bitcoin ecosystem,' adding privacy transfer and cross-chain staking functionalities to BTC through BitVM2+SP1 without modifying Bitcoin code, expanding Bitcoin's application boundaries.
• 'Promoting the formation of industry standards': The open-source nature and multi-chain adaptability of SP1 have led it to gradually become the 'de facto standard' for ZKP development—more and more projects (like 0xFacet's OP Succinct Lite and Fiamma's Bitcoin bridge) choose to build core proof modules based on SP1 rather than creating their own ZKP systems. This 'standard unification' further reduces the collaboration costs in the industry; for example, different Layer2 projects can share proof verification logic based on SP1 to reduce redundant development; cross-chain protocols can achieve 'proof mutual recognition' through SP1, avoiding the need to customize verification modules for different chains, thus promoting the ZKP ecosystem from 'fragmentation' to 'collaboration.'
Summary: The ultimate value of Succinct—defining the 'general base' of trusted blockchain computing
The innovation of Succinct Labs is not about inventing a new ZKP algorithm, but reconstructing the core logic of ZKP infrastructure: it upgrades ZKP from 'a tool for solving specific problems' to 'a general base supporting trusted computing across the chain.' Through SP1's generalized engine, it breaks the technical barriers between chains; through the empowerment of the developer ecosystem, it lowers the innovation threshold of the industry; and through the construction of cross-chain trusted anchors, it fills the gap between 'value transfer' and 'trusted computing' in blockchain.
In the future, when blockchain is no longer constrained by 'cross-chain trust deficits', when ordinary developers can easily build 'privacy + efficiency' applications, and when ZKP becomes a foundational infrastructure as ubiquitous as smart contracts, we may find that Succinct's true contribution is to transform ZKP from a 'technical term' into a 'foundational capability of blockchain ecosystems'—and this is the ultimate realization of the mission of 'software for the proof world'.@Succinct
