What is Boundless?
The universal protocol Boundless was created to provide every blockchain access to ZK's power. It makes it possible for separate prover nodes to produce ZK proofs for infrastructure, rollups, layer 1s, and applications across all chains.
Without requiring modifications to current networks, Boundless offers a consistent scalability and interoperability layer by shifting computing to the Boundless network and validating proofs onchain. Boundless is the fundamental layer for ZK proving across the blockchain ecosystem since capacity scales horizontally and adding nodes directly boosts throughput.
What is ZK Coin?
The Boundless protocol's native coin is called ZK Coin, or "ZKC." Under the surface, ZKC secures every evidence; before a single cycle is calculated, provers must stake it as collateral. new ZKC is sealed behind their proofs as new protocols connect to Boundless. ZKC essentially serves as the foundation for all ZK Proving. In order for Boundless to become the native ZK infrastructure for every ecosystem, builders pay for proofs on Boundless using the native token of their own protocol, such as ETH on Ethereum, USDC, or SOL on Solana.
Verifiable Work Proof
PoVW is a permissionless incentive mechanism that allows provers to mine ZKC in return for their proving labor. It is a revolutionary invention within Boundless. ZKC rewards provers who produce original zero knowledge proofs. A prover must stake a certain quantity of ZKC that increases in proportion to the extent of their total proving labor during a certain era in order to be eligible for these prizes.
This technique expands the use of ZKC outside the Boundless market by allowing provers to stake ZKC and obtain PoVW rewards from any market or network. There is a clear cycle as a result: as operators vie for a bigger portion of PoVW payouts, more proofs result in more ZKC staked and constant pressure to do better.
