In the evolution of blockchain technology, zero-knowledge proof technology has been seen as a key solution to scalability and privacy issues. However, the process of generating these proofs faces significant computational challenges and infrastructure bottlenecks. The emergence of Succinct provides a revolutionary solution to this dilemma.
Redefining the way zero-knowledge proofs are generated.
Succinct is a protocol built on Ethereum, dedicated to providing proof services for software worldwide. It cleverly coordinates hardware teams, infrastructure operators, and application developers to collaboratively facilitate the generation of zero-knowledge proofs. Developers simply need to send programs written in ordinary programming languages, wrapped in SP1, to the Succinct network, where a network of provers composed of infrastructure layers and hardware teams will compete to generate proofs of program execution.
This design makes sending proof requests to the Succinct network as simple as running ordinary code. Whether it's a ZK rollup, cross-chain bridge, game, oracle, or AI agent, the required proof services can be obtained through this network. The auction-based competitive mechanism makes the pricing of proof services more reasonable and competitive.
Why a decentralized proof network is needed.
The innovative significance of the decentralized zero-knowledge proof protocol is reflected in several key aspects. First, generating proofs is a computationally intensive task. Even generating proofs for a single large ZK rollup requires coordinating hundreds of GPU clusters. Therefore, providing proof services for applications worldwide far exceeds the capabilities of any single team. Meeting future proof demands requires integrating global computing resources, including all computing power both inside and outside data centers.
Secondly, proof generation will benefit from performance improvements brought by accelerated hardware, similar to Bitcoin mining and AI training. A permissionless protocol to coordinate and incentivize this construction is crucial for the high scalability of ZK technology.
Most importantly, the zero-knowledge proof network benefits from the automatic verifiability of proofs. Unlike decentralized AI training, where users cannot verify if the models in data centers are trained correctly on private or sensitive data, zero-knowledge proofs are self-verifiable and can be automatically checked for correctness by third parties. This makes zero-knowledge proofs particularly suitable for permissionless participation.
Core features of the Succinct network.
The Succinct network builds a global bilateral market that connects provers and requesters, where provers compete to generate zero-knowledge proofs for the programs submitted by requesters. The network is designed as a protocol that settles on Ethereum, with the following key features.
In terms of permissionless participation, anyone can join the network as a prover, and anyone can submit requests by depositing fees. This openness drives global competition, ensuring strong security, preventing any single entity from monopolizing the proof process, and allowing all applications to leverage zero-knowledge technology.
In the realm of high-performance verifiable architecture, the network is designed for verifiable applications that settle on Ethereum. This provides users with an experience of interacting with high-performance network applications, while anyone can independently verify, similar to the separation between L2 sorters and L2 on-chain settlements. The architecture consists of two parts: off-chain auction services and on-chain settlement contracts.
The off-chain auction service is similar to L2 sorters, serving as a dedicated off-chain service that handles core coordination between requesters and provers, collecting proof requests, organizing auctions, and completing proofs. The auction service matches requests with the most competitive provers without introducing additional delays or facing the throughput limitations of modern blockchains.
On-chain settlement contracts are smart contracts on Ethereum, with settlements based on the state root published by the auction service and correctly executed zero-knowledge proofs. This allows users to independently verify the network's state, ensuring the safety of their deposits and enabling users to easily withdraw funds, even if the auction service is offline.
Economic design of the PROVE token.
PROVE, as the native token of the Succinct network, supports payments, incentivizes provers to compete on costs, and protects network security through staking and governance. The design of the PROVE token aims to align the incentives of provers with lowering costs for end users of the Succinct proof network.
Through an auction mechanism called 'proof competitions', provers from around the world compete to generate proofs. In this mechanism, provers stake PROVE to participate in the auction, bidding at the lowest price they are willing to offer for the proof. This competition drives proof costs towards true market levels and continually rewards those who invest in faster algorithms or better hardware. As more provers join, network capacity expands, and prices become increasingly efficient.
Drawing on the successful experiences of incentive-based physical infrastructure.
Drawing on the successful experiences of networks like Bitcoin incentivizing global-scale mining hardware and Filecoin incentivizing decentralized storage, the Succinct proof network extends the model of decentralized physical infrastructure into the realm of zero-knowledge proof generation. Like these networks, it attracts specialized capacity, drives price and service quality competition, and ensures the continuous research and development of the proof system through protocol-level incentives paid in the native token PROVE.
Crucially, while existing solutions may not necessarily provide cost-effective on-demand proofs for end users, the Succinct proof network directly triggers free-market competition in proof generation. This design not only addresses the fragmentation issues of current zero-knowledge proof infrastructure but also lays a solid foundation for the future large-scale application of zero-knowledge technology.
