Виталик Бутерин предлагает GKR-протокол для революционной оптимизации вычислений на основе ZK Translation: Vitalik Buterin Proposes GKR Protocol for Revolutionary Optimization of ZK-Based Computations

Co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, has proposed the utilization of the GKR protocol to enhance the efficiency of traditional systems like zk-SNARK and zk-STARK.

According to him, recent years have seen a trend in cryptography of creating specialized solutions tailored for specific types of tasks within zero-knowledge proofs. Some of these solutions are optimized for arithmetic circuits, while others focus on mandatory transitions.

Introduced in 2010, the GKR protocol combines the strengths of both approaches. It is designed to handle large volumes of data and can validate the correctness of millions of computations per second without the necessity of verifying intermediate steps.

Buterin explained that this technology is well-suited for operations that consist of numerous identical data sets arranged in layers. Examples include mass hashing via Poseidon2 or the functioning of neural networks, where a single algorithm is applied to various data sets.

In traditional systems like STARK, proofs must be generated for each stage of the computations; for instance, Merkle trees need to be created for all data. This requires hashing 4-16 bytes for every byte of original information. GKR circumvents such operations by utilizing cryptographic commitments solely for the input and output computations.

In practice, this technology has demonstrated to be 15 times more efficient than zk-STARK-based solutions.

“However, these calculations remain theoretical. […] The practical efficiency relies on the balance between two conflicting factors: increased memory demands and the advantages of a parallel computation architecture,” Buterin clarified.

At the core of GKR lies a mathematical sumcheck method for sequential simplification of verification. Initially, the system proves the validity of the final result and then, through a series of transformations, it checks the previous stages of the computations down to the very original data. Each step reduces the problem’s complexity.

Buterin believes that zero-knowledge proofs play a crucial role in improving the scalability of Ethereum.

Earlier, he introduced the ZKID concept, describing it as a foundation for new financial models. This technology employs zk-SNARKs to verify information without third-party involvement.