Zero Knowledge

SummaryIn this week’s episode, Anna chats with Jens Groth and Daniel Marin from Nexus. They catch up on all things Groth16 with the author himself before diving into a variety topics, such as formal verification in the context of ZKPs, the Nexus architecture, the benefits and challenges of building a system from the ground up, folding and IVC plus the properties these offer in a zkVM context and much more. Here’s some additional links for this episode:ZKProof Conference in Berlin Nova: Recursive Zero-Knowledge Arguments from Folding Schemes by Kothapalli, Setty, and TziallaNexus zkVMEpisode 284: Using Formal Verification on ZK Systems with Jon Stephens Jens Groth Publication ListNexus Docs Nexus 1.0 MachineEnabling General-Purpose Verifiable Computing | Daniel Marin (Oct 2023) on YouTubeNexus 2.0 SETI@home zkSummit12 is happening in Lisbon on Oct 8th! Applications to speak or attend are now open at zksummit.com, speaker applications close TODAY (Aug 14th) and early bird tickets for attendance are limited!Launching soon, Namada is a proof-of-stake L1 blockchain focused on multichain, asset-agnostic privacy, via a unified shielded set. Namada is natively interoperable with fast-finality chains via IBC, and with Ethereum using a trust-minimized bridge.Follow Namada on Twitter @namada for more information and join the community on Discord. Aleo is a new Layer-1 blockchain that achieves the programmability of Ethereum, the privacy of Zcash, and the scalability of a rollup.As Aleo is gearing up for their mainnet launch in Q1, this is an invitation to be part of a transformational ZK journey. Dive deeper and discover more about Aleo at http://aleo.org/.If you like what we do:Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | LinktreeSubscribe to our podcast newsletterFollow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefmJoin us on TelegramCatch us on YouTube Read transcript

Joe Bonneau, Assistant Professor at NYU and Research Partner at a16z crypto research, dives into cutting-edge zero-knowledge technologies. He discusses naysayer proofs, which simplify verification in cryptography. The conversation then shifts to the role of zero-knowledge middleboxes in enhancing online privacy and the DARPA SIEVE Project aimed at advancing ZK methods. Bonneau also explores decentralized sealed-bid auctions, showcasing how blockchain can ensure privacy while maintaining transparency in bidding processes. A wealth of knowledge and innovation unfolds!

Ismael Hishon-Rezaizadeh and Charalampos Papamanthou discuss zk-powered coprocessors, Verifiable SQL, Reckle Trees, prover marketplace, infrastructure, and bringing general computing concepts into decentralized blockchain systems. They explore the benefits for dApp developers, historical data access challenges, and the use of ZKPs for secure validation.

Hart Lambur from Across discusses cross-chain interoperability and Uma, sharing insights on bridges, messaging speed, intent structures, and interoperability challenges. The conversation covers financial optimizations, stake attacks, growth predictions, and the Ethereum vs Solana competition. The hosts also banter about Belgium, events in Brussels, and the rise of financial nihilism in the crypto space.

Learn about the upcoming ZK Hack event in Montreal happening on August 9th to 11th. Attendees can hack on ZKTools, meet experts, and find collaborators. Partners like RISC-Zero, Novonet, Gevilot, and O1 Labs will showcase tools and offer bounties.

Varun Srinivasan, co-founder of Farcaster, discusses the innovative design space and applications of the project. Topics include decentralized social networks, combatting spam, storage rent, privacy, Sign in with Farcaster, user control, and community-based optimization.

Ying Tong Lai, a researcher at Geometry Research known for her work on Zcash's Halo 2, and Bryan Gillespie from Inversed Tech, who focuses on privacy technologies, dive into the intricacies of programmable privacy. They discuss their research on classifying and implementing privacy in distributed systems. The duo shares insights on zero-knowledge proofs, the evolution of cryptographic systems, and the balance between privacy and usability in decentralized finance. Their personal journeys from academia to the crypto space unravel the interdisciplinary nature of these innovations.

Alessandro Chiesa and Eylon Yogev discuss constructing cryptographic proofs from ideal hash functions, exploring SNARKs and Alessandro's role in ZK systems. They delve into superposition queries, limitations of the random oracle model, and future standardizations. The podcast highlights the importance of systematizing cryptographic proofs for security and efficiency.

Guests Sims Gautam and Liam Eagen from Alpen Labs discuss utilizing ZK for Bitcoin L2s, BitVM, covenants, and SNARKnado. They explore the distinctions between Bridge Operators in Bitcoin and Eth L2s, creating DA and authentic synthetic assets, and ways to enhance trust models and security in Bitcoin.

SummaryIn this week’s episode Anna chats with Shumo and Yi from NEBRA. They discuss how NEBRA UPA, or Universal Proof Aggregation, can mitigate the high price of putting ZKPs on-chain. They cover what it takes to incorporate proving systems into NEBRA UPA as well as the benefits that these systems will bring, how developers are meant to interact with them, and future integrations to enable seamless cross-zkRollup applications. They cover prover marketplaces, verification aggregation systems, and the design space that these systems open up. Here’s some additional links for this episode:NEBRANEBRA UPA DemoNEBRA DocsUPA Gas Costs by NEBRAMIT Bitcoin ClubfflonK: a Fast-Fourier inspired verifier efficient version of PlonK by Gabizon and WilliamsonUniPlonK: PlonK with Universal Verifier by Chu, Gomes, Iglesias, Norton and TebbsThe Web3 Summit is back!The next edition will be happening in Berlin from Aug 19-21! You can head over to web3summit.com to apply, learn more and grab your tickets today. Episode SponsorsLaunching soon, Namada is a proof-of-stake L1 blockchain focused on multichain, asset-agnostic privacy, via a unified shielded set. Namada is natively interoperable with fast-finality chains via IBC, and with Ethereum using a trust-minimized bridge.Follow Namada on Twitter @namada for more information and join the community on Discord discord.gg/namada. Aleo is a new Layer-1 blockchain that achieves the programmability of Ethereum, the privacy of Zcash, and the scalability of a rollup.As Aleo is gearing up for their mainnet launch in Q1, this is an invitation to be part of a transformational ZK journey. Dive deeper and discover more about Aleo at http://aleo.org/If you like what we do:Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | LinktreeSubscribe to our podcast newsletterFollow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefmJoin us on TelegramCatch us on YouTube Read transcript