ChainCatcher news, RISC Zero officially announced the launch of zkVM version 1.2, introducing a brand new "Application-defined Precompiles" feature. This innovation changes the traditional architecture of precompile modules, allowing precompile functionality to be deployed alongside applications without relying on fixed implementations within zkVM, enhancing performance and flexibility.The zkVM 1.2 version enables developers to immediately integrate precompile functionality into applications without system updates or additional coordination work, resulting in a faster and more efficient development experience.It is reported that Automata has integrated RISC Zero's RSA precompile functionality, reducing its program runtime from 39 million to 198,000, achieving approximately a 198-fold cost reduction.

ChainCatcher message, Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake tweeted that the Ethereum Foundation is investing tens of millions of dollars in zkVM, including zkRISC-V formal verification, Poseidon cryptanalysis, and L2beat for zkVMs.

ChainCatcher news, a16z stated that several improvements have been made to the performance and usability of its zkVM Jolt, with validator costs significantly reduced, dropping from several MB proof sizes in April to about 200 KB, and can be further reduced to 25 KB; the prover is expected to accelerate by 3 times; supports the Rust standard library, etc.

ChainCatcher news, the developer of zkVM, Nexus, has launched the first test version of the Nexus network, which is an open validator network.The team stated: "This is the first distributed validator network based on zero-knowledge virtual machines that anyone can access. The network aggregates the collective power of any connected device, from large-scale GPU farms to computers or smartphones. Our goal is to unite computers around the world to form a single supercomputer capable of proving all computations on the internet, thereby unlocking a verifiable internet."

According to ChainCatcher news, RISC Zero, a zero-knowledge proof software developer, is collaborating with Celestia to build a zkVM-based cross-chain bridge called "Blobstream Zero." Blobstream Zero will enable Rollups and applications to ZK prove and verify the data availability (DA) of Celestia across any chain by connecting Celestia's modular data availability layer with Ethereum, Optimism, Bitcoin, Solana, and more.Blobstream Zero will conduct on-chain verification across all major chains, starting with Ethereum and gradually expanding to Optimism, Arbitrum, Solana, and Bitcoin, with more features to be launched in the coming months. Blobstream Zero will also allow applications to combine their execution ZK proofs with recursive DA light client proofs and inclusion proofs to optimize existing and new use cases.

ChainCatcher news, zero-knowledge proof software developer RISC Zero stated on social media that it will launch a universal verifier on multiple chains, which is the 3rd step in its zkVM (zero-knowledge virtual machine) 1.0 release roadmap (out of 4 steps).It is reported that this universal verifier enables blockchains and developers to leverage verifiable off-chain execution, allowing developers to run Rust programs in RISC Zero's zkVM, generate proofs, and seamlessly verify them on-chain.

ChainCatcher news, Solana-based derivatives protocol Zeta Markets has released a streamlined white paper for its DeFi Layer2 "Zeta X," with the mainnet expected to launch in the first quarter of 2025.It is reported that Zeta X aims to expand and redefine decentralized trading, matching the performance of centralized trading platforms.The official statement indicates that settlement and consensus (DA) will occur on the native Solana L1. Execution will be handled by an off-chain zkVM compatible matching engine, entirely written in Rust from the ground up, providing high throughput and speed. The Z token will serve as the native Gas token for transactions on the ZX rollup and will act as a reward mechanism for staking holders who perform key operations on Zeta X, among others.

ChainCatcher news, the Layer2 platform Ola based on ZKVM has announced the completion of its first token distribution snapshot, Massive S1 has officially ended, and Massive S2 has now begun.According to the Web3 asset data platform RootData, Ola is a ZKVM based on a parallel execution architecture, featuring programmable privacy, programmable scalability, and better developer compatibility. With Ola's fully functional ZK-ZKVM, developers can harness the potential of privacy-centric applications, prioritizing user control and data protection.

ChainCatcher news, the second-layer ZKVM project Ola announced that it will open the application for node invitation codes tonight (March 18) at 20:00. Users can apply by linking their wallets through the Ola official website. Only 1,000 invitation codes will be available in the first batch, on a first-come, first-served basis. Users who successfully obtain an invitation code will be eligible to register as Massive validation nodes on March 21, and then directly participate in mobile mining in early April. Code holders can generate sub-invitation codes by inviting others, thereby earning additional points. To ensure fairness, each address is allowed only one invitation code, and it must be linked to a single mining mobile terminal.According to previous news, Massive is the first mobile mining module launched by Ola based on ZKVM+AI+DePIN. The official plan is to allocate about 10% of the tokens for this module, with 1% allocated for the next round of testnet Alpha.