The Erigon team has recently released Zilkworm v0.1.0-alpha.1, marking a significant milestone in our mission to deliver the industry’s highly efficient and diverse zero-knowledge proving engine. Built on a full C++ stack—a first for any zkEVM—Zilkworm is now one step closer to production, leveraging its native performance for State Transition and EVM (EVMOne) execution.
What’s New in v0.1.0-alpha.1
This release prioritizes performance and strict testing standards. Key technical highlights include:
- Pure C++ Guest: Compiled with GCC, all Rust dependencies from the ELF have been eliminated.
- Optimized EVMOne: Tailored for bare-metal RISC-V 64IM (SP1 Hypercube).
- Full Osaka Hardfork Support: Includes native precompile implementations for BLS12-381, modexp, P256verify, and KZG verification.
- Built-in Cryptographic Acceleration: Accelerated precompiles for Keccak, BN254, and ecrecover via native SP1 ecalls.
- GridMPT: A stateless Merkle Patricia Trie specifically designed for zkVMs on a fixed memory stack.
- Batteries Included: Support for both CPU and NVIDIA GPU proving, with EthProofs integration available out of the box.
Architectural Vision: 1-of-N Trust Model
At its core, Zilkworm is designed as a stateless block processor that integrates with external zkVMs to generate validity proofs. By decoupling execution from verification through our unique C++ implementation, it enables a 1-of-N trust model: where one prover generates a mathematical proof that can be instantly verified by millions of lightweight modules, even on low-end hardware like a Raspberry Pi Pico.
Our current internal testing has shown significant performance leaps, with average proving times dropping to approximately 7.5 seconds using supported prover optimizations. We are committed to maintaining this lead, ensuring that proving stays within or close to block time to enable Ethereum real-time proving.
Roadmap & Ongoing Integrations
Going forward, the focus will expand to include enhanced security, robustness, and interoperability.
Amsterdam Support: The team is currently prioritizing a working Amsterdam version and a debug execution witness to meet upcoming Ethereum Foundation requirements.
Real-Time Proving (RTP): We are exploring ways to eliminate latency between block commitment and witness receipt, potentially through internal consensus layer integration or new payload APIs.
Zilkworm is more than just a prover. By championing client diversity and efficiency, it is the independent safety net that ensures Ethereum and private institutions can scale.