Analysis: Buterin says Ethereum ZK speed race is won, urges security priority

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin says the race to make zero-knowledge proofs fast enough for Ethereum is definitively won. Buterin says the top priority for zkEVMs should now shift fully to security. Buterin's comment followed ZKsync's claim of real-time proving on a single graphics card.

ZKsync's own evaluation found that Airbender Prime delivered 99% of proofs in under 10 seconds across 7,200 consecutive mainnet blocks. Ethereum adds a block every 12 seconds. ZKsync says no block in the sample took that long to prove. ZKsync says ETHproofs, a public prover leaderboard, ranks Airbender Prime first on average proving time. ZKsync argues that lower hardware requirements open proving to more institutions and independent operators.

Ethereum validators currently re-run every transaction to check a block. Zero-knowledge proofs confirm that a computation ran correctly without repeating the computation. Zero-knowledge proofs would let validators check a short proof instead. That shift could reduce the work validators do per block.

Buterin named three requirements for zkEVMs, the systems that prove Ethereum's execution. Buterin says zkEVMs must match the Ethereum specification. Buterin says zkEVMs must cap prover cost against block gas. Buterin says zkEVMs must rely on a sound proof system. Buterin wants each requirement formally verified, meaning mathematically proven rather than only tested.

Faster proving does not directly move Ethereum's price. Airbender Prime is a ZKsync tool rather than an Ethereum protocol change. Airbender Prime leaves Ethereum's ETH supply, fees and staking rewards unchanged. Any price effect would more likely come through sentiment about Ethereum's roadmap, alongside macroeconomic conditions and fund flows.

The larger issue is credibility. ZKsync promotes the technology to banks, arguing that even a hacked server could not get a ledger update that violates the rules verified. A fast prover with a flaw would defeat that purpose. Formal verification and audits may now determine which zkEVMs Ethereum can trust.