The well-known venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) recently revealed two groundbreaking open-source software projects heavily centered on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. As a robust form of cryptography, ZK proofs open up exciting new possibilities for scaling blockchain networks by amping up transaction speed, slashing costs, and upgrading privacy features.
The first of these trailblazing projects is Lasso. Its origins can be traced back to the collaborative efforts of Justin Thaler, an a16z team member, Srinath Setty, a Microsoft researcher, and Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Riad Wahby. Lasso aims to speed up ZK systems, a tenet underscored in the project’s white paper. The software’s code is publicly accessible under an open-source license, a decision aiming to foster its widespread adoption and usability among external developers.
The second project on the firm’s innovation itinerary is Jolt. This proposes a new type of zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) featuring Lasso’s technological advancements. Although Jolt is currently confined to the realm of research, plans are underway to translate it into open-source code, once again emphasizing the firm’s commitment to empowering developers.
Given their reliance on ZK technology, companies under the a16z umbrella stand to benefit enormously from these fresh software undertakings. In pushing these initiatives, the venture capital firm is also potentially improving its financial standing. Moreover, the open-source element of these projects amplifies a16z’s appeal to the developer community, ensuring it stays ahead in the race for lucrative opportunities.
Outside the realm of blockchain technology, the use cases for ZK proofs are vast. Justin Thaler elucidated how these proofs help scale blockchain systems by redirecting complex operations off-chain and merely having the blockchain verify their completion. This clever twist ensures that no single node in the network is saddled with an undue burden.
The new software, Lasso, is projected to enhance the fundamental elements of ZK-SNARKs, a crucial building block for many ZK-based crypto projects. The firm expects the final optimization to result in a 40x performance improvement. On the other hand, Jolt is marketed as a new zkVM building method. One such class, known as zkEVMs, is emerging as the backbone of Ethereum “layer 2” scaling chains, enhancing functionality while reducing costs and increasing network throughput. The firm keenly anticipates Jolt to provide a more streamlined and accessible experience for developers while maintaining high performance.
Source: Cryptonews
