After the recent unveiling of Polygon 2.0, a proposal has been introduced by Polygon Labs to upgrade its proof-of-stake (PoS) chain to a zkEVM validium. This upgrade aims to improve security and performance, bringing the PoS chain closer to capturing the “value layer” of the internet, a goal emphasized by its developers.
The proposal highlights several problems faced by the current Polygon PoS, including incredibly fast block times. While this speed may seem beneficial, it ultimately decreases the efficiency of its gas estimation model, leading to gas price spikes and processing delays for user transactions. Upgrading to a validium would address this issue and eliminate chain reorgs, which have been a frequent problem on the Polygon PoS chain.
Critics argue that the PoS chain’s “legacy tech stack” is suboptimal. This stack is based on forks of the Cosmos SDK for consensus and the Geth EVM execution client, both implemented in 2020. The proposal posits that a better solution would be to use Polygon’s zkEVM, discarding the current probabilistic consensus method in favor of a “decentralized validator/sequencer sets with deterministic, single block finality.” In a blog post, Polygon Labs described validium as “the lower-cost, higher-throughput sibling of a rollup.”
A potential downside of the upgrade is that validiums maintain data availability outside of Ethereum. However, Polygon downplays this difference, as it can leverage an existing decentralized validator set from the PoS chain staking of MATIC, Polygon’s native token.
According to Polygon Labs, applications should remain operational, and fees should stay just as low if the proposal is accepted and the validium upgrade is implemented. The timeframe for implementation would be the first quarter of 2024, provided there is consensus among the community.
While the proposal presents an important step in integrating zero-knowledge proofs into the PoS chain infrastructure – a technology many believe is the future of smart contract blockchains – the zkEVM validium would be separate from Polygon’s zkEVM introduced in late March 2023.
In conclusion, Polygon’s proposal for upgrading its PoS chain to a zkEVM validium presents a promising solution to improve security and performance. Still, there is a level of skepticism regarding the downsides and timeline for implementation. With the possibility of transforming PoS chains into a zk-based layer 2 by 2024, the success of this proposal could significantly impact the future of blockchain technology and smart contract platforms.
Source: Blockworks
