Vitalik Buterin has made a significant announcement regarding the GKR protocol: the efficiency of the Ethereum ZK proof system will see a revolutionary breakthrough.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared a new research finding, the Goldwasser–Kalai–Rothblum (GKR) protocol, which holds the potential to fundamentally reshape the proof validation and scalability methods of Ethereum in the coming years. The GKR protocol is a groundbreaking recursive proof aggregation method that significantly enhances the efficiency of ZK (zero-knowledge) systems and Rollups through logarithmic time verification of complex Cryptography proofs, marking an important step towards Ethereum's vision of a “Lean” and quantum-resistant network.

GKR protocol: A breakthrough that revolutionizes proof efficiency

Vitalik Buterin published a tutorial on the GKR protocol on his personal blog on October 20. This protocol is a groundbreaking proof system designed to make zero-knowledge computation faster and more efficient.

GKR's core advantages and principles

· Logarithmic time verification: The GKR framework can verify large computations with minimal on-chain overhead, greatly simplifying complex cryptographic proofs.

· Efficiency surpassing traditional ZK: Buterin described how GKR processes proofs in logarithmic time without expensive intermediate commitments, making it more efficient than traditional ZK-SNARK or STARK systems.

· High scalability: Buterin emphasized that the core advantage of GKR lies in its scalability, stating: “It is inherently suitable for proving large amounts of hashes and neural network-style computations,” highlighting its applicability to blockchain and AI workloads.

· Cost and load reduction: Due to the design of the protocol, provers can omit intermediate stage commitments, thereby reducing costs and computational load.

the combination of privacy and simplicity

· Wrapability: Although GKR itself is not a zero-knowledge proof, it can be wrapped in a ZK-SNARK or STARK layer to achieve privacy protection, thereby combining simplicity with confidentiality.

GKR's key position in the Ethereum roadmap

The release of the GKR protocol aligns closely with Buterin's broader vision of “Lean Ethereum”, which is a simplified and quantum-safe network design.

Accelerating the realization of the core goals of Ethereum

· Key objectives supported: GKR directly supports Ethereum in achieving faster finality, proof aggregation for Rollup, and zero-knowledge based scalability, among other goals.

· Simplified Network: This protocol works in conjunction with other related initiatives, such as advanced interoperability tools between Layer 2, partial stateless clients to minimize node storage, and governance driven by ZK.

Ethereum cryptographic backbone's future

As developers begin experimenting with GKR based systems, the Ethereum Cryptography backbone is expected to become lighter and faster. This will help achieve Buterin's long-term goal of scalable, verifiable computation, further solidifying Ethereum's position as the next-generation decentralized network infrastructure.

Conclusion

The GKR protocol released by Vitalik Buterin is a significant technological leap in the field of Ethereum scaling. By revolutionizing the efficiency of proofs, it not only brings greater scalability to Rollups, but also provides key tools for Ethereum to move towards a lean and quantum-resistant future. This innovation will profoundly impact the design of ZK proof systems and may become a key technology driving the integration of AI and blockchain workloads.

Disclaimer: This article is for news information only and does not constitute any investment advice. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, and investors should make decisions cautiously.