Babylon Zero-Knowledge Proof Protocol BABE Officially Released, Bitcoin Verification Cost Reduced by Thousands of Times

RektRecovery · 2026-01-18T05:30:11+00:00

Stanford professor David Tse announces the launch of BABE, a new type of zero-knowledge proof verification protocol that reduces costs by over a thousand times. Using linear pairing technology and Argo MAC obfuscation primitives, BABE significantly optimizes the complexity of traditional Groth16 verification. This technology is expected to go live in February 2026, bringing lower-cost and more scalable verification capabilities to the Bitcoin network, benefiting developers.

RektRecovery

2026-01-18 05:30:11

Abstract generation in progress

【Blockchain Rhythm】Stanford University professor and Babylon co-founder David Tse recently announced a major technological breakthrough. The team officially launched BABE (BAbylon-BErkeley)—a new Groth16 zero-knowledge proof verification protocol designed for the Bitcoin ecosystem. This solution has achieved a leap in initialization and storage costs compared to existing optimal solutions, reducing costs by over a thousand times.

The reason this方案 can achieve such a performance leap lies in the integration of two cryptographic innovations. First is the witness encryption technology based on linear pairings. Traditional Groth16 verification involves complex multiple pairing computations, while BABE simplifies this cumbersome process into a single scalar multiplication on the BN254 elliptic curve. This alone is a significant optimization.

Furthermore, the方案 also introduces the latest Argo MAC obfuscation primitive. Through this tool, scalar multiplication is further transformed into vector homomorphic MAC operations, enabling a more efficient computation process. The combination of these two innovations results in a quite remarkable effect.

David Tse revealed that BABE will be launched alongside the alpha testnet of Babylon Trustless Bitcoin Vault in February 2026. What does this timing mean? It indicates that the Bitcoin network is expected to have lower-cost and more scalable zero-knowledge proof verification capabilities in the near future. For developers aiming to implement complex applications on Bitcoin, this is undoubtedly a major positive development.

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DegenTherapist

· 01-20 01:12

A thousandfold cost reduction? Sounds great, but it has to be truly implemented to work.

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RugPullAlertBot

· 01-18 06:00

Wow, a thousandfold decrease in costs? If that's true, the Bitcoin ecosystem will take off... However, the waters in ZK are still quite deep, and it depends on how the subsequent audit results turn out.

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SmartContractPlumber

· 01-18 06:00

A thousandfold performance improvement in zero-knowledge proofs sounds unbelievable; I need to see the specific audit report before I can believe it.

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PumpDetector

· 01-18 05:56

costs down 1000x sounds wild but let me see how this actually performs under network stress... stanford prof or not, crypto always overpromises on the initial drop lol. groth16 optimizations are real tho, if they actually simplified the pairing operations that's... actually worth paying attention to 🤔

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HashRateHustler

· 01-18 05:51

Wow, a thousandfold cost reduction? If this can really be implemented in the Bitcoin ecosystem, that would be incredible. Finally, someone is taking it seriously.

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