The Delphi Podcast Logan Allen: Nockchain's Global Competition for Useful ZK Proof of Work Miners Kicks Off
May 19, 2025
Logan Allen, founder of Zorp and Nockchain, dives into the groundbreaking journey of creating a new proof-of-work blockchain. He introduces the innovative ZK Powell consensus mechanism that leverages zero-knowledge proofs for mining. Allen discusses the unique challenges in building a decentralized ecosystem while ensuring security and privacy. The potential for specialized ZK ASICs and engaging applications like the KnockApp framework is highlighted. He also shares insights about an upcoming mining competition, paving the way for new opportunities in the blockchain landscape.
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Logan Allen's Crypto Journey
- Logan Allen dropped out of Georgia Tech, believing Bitcoin would hyperinflate the dollar.
- He worked with Curtis Yarvin on Erbit and later created Nockchain using ZKVM technology.
ZK Proofs Enable Programmable Money
- Logan values Bitcoin's simplicity and security aesthetics but wanted programmability.
- He chose zero-knowledge proofs to enable programmable money with privacy and trustlessness.
Solving the ZK Proof Market Problem
- Proof markets for ZK proofs face a chicken-and-egg problem between developers and proof providers.
- Nockchain's ZK Proof of Work competition subsidizes proving capacity with block rewards to solve this.