The future of zkVM, why is it based on RISC-V architecture?
RISC Zero, Succint, Lita, and a16z's jolt are all based on the RISC-V instruction set. What are its advantages?Source: hyperstructured.greg X account
Author: hyperstructured.greg
Compiled by: Alex Liu, Foresight News
The ZK infrastructure company RISC Zero, which has secured $40 million in funding, officially launched zkVM 1.0 today, marking the production-ready version of its general-purpose zkVM. While there are players in the zkVM space that are ready for production, many may frequently hear the term "zkEVM" without understanding what the subtly different "zkVM" actually is. This article introduces the advantages of the instruction set chosen by most zkVMs; for more information about zkVM, you can refer to this article.
zkVM is more general than zkEVM, unlocking the possibility of writing programs in general-purpose languages and coding beyond the Solidity library, which has become a hot topic today. Leading projects in this space, such as RISC Zero, Succint, Lita, and jolt created by a16z, are all based on the RISC-V instruction set. What are its advantages? Why will the future of zkVM be based on the RISC-V architecture? Why is @rv_inc building tools to allow formal verification at the RISC-V level?
The RISC-V instruction set has the following main advantages:
Open and Scalable Architecture:
RISC-V is an open standard instruction set architecture (ISA) that is free to use for any purpose, with high adaptability and customizability. This allows zkVM developers to tailor the architecture specifically for proof operations, optimizing performance and efficiency. Why does Linux dominate the server system market? The word "free" is indeed very important!
Modularity and Flexibility:
The modular nature of RISC-V allows zkVM developers to implement only the necessary functionalities, avoiding unnecessary complexity and overhead. The advantages of modularity have been emphasized too much in this cycle, so I won't elaborate further.
Standardization and Ecosystem Support:
RISC-V has a rapidly growing ecosystem with extensive toolchain support, including compilers and debuggers, such as the formal verification tools being developed by @rv_inc for the RISC-V ISA. A rapidly developing ecosystem means a vast space for innovation, sometimes leading to a synergistic effect.
Efficient Proof Generation and Verification:
The simplicity of RISC-V design aids in executing the complex algorithms involved in zero-knowledge proofs more efficiently. By leveraging the RISC-V instruction set architecture, "zkVM" can achieve better performance in terms of speed and resource utilization, which is crucial for proof aggregation.
Security and Formal Verification:
The clear and well-defined architecture of RISC-V makes the application of formal verification techniques easier, which is vital for ensuring the security and correctness of zkVM. By using RISC-V, developers will be able to utilize formal verification tools and methods to build a more secure zkVM.
Cross-Platform Compatibility:
The compatibility of RISC-V with various hardware platforms (including X86, x64, and ARM, which are common in Windows, Mac, and various simple electronic devices) means that zkVM can be deployed across a wide range of environments. This flexibility is key to the widespread adoption of proof aggregation solutions, as it allows for seamless integration into different systems.
Language Universality:
RISC-V does not have built-in concepts of wallet addresses or other blockchain structures. The instruction set mainly consists of operators that move data between memory locations and perform mathematical operations on data. Additionally, compared to EVM, the underlying RISC-V simulator allows programmers to write programs for zkVM using languages such as Rust, C/C++, and Go. This means that zkVM programmers can utilize relevant libraries developed by others in the ecosystem of those languages, such as Rust libraries developed for Solana.
In the current trend of "general-purpose computing," what sparks will zkVM bring to the fierce VM competition (MoveVM, SVM, EVM, zkEVM …)? Can it achieve significant adoption and establish a foothold? The first player, RISC Zero, has already made a brilliant debut; the rest will be left to time to verify.
