Zero Knowledge

In this week’s episode, Anna and Guillermo chat with Yaz Khoury and Ismail Khoffi from Celestia. They share how the team prepared for the launch of the Celestia mainnet and what has been happening at Celestia since. They revisit the topic of DA (Data Availability) and explore how rollups and dApp developers can already use the Celestia DA layer. The group discusses Blobstream, which brings the benefits of Celestia to Ethereum and helps to scale the network, as well as community building, the modular thesis and much more.Here’s some additional links for this episode:Episode 151: John Adler on Optimistic vs ZK Rollup and the data availability problem Episode 208: Digging into Data Availability with Ismail Khoffi from Celestia Episode 268: A Rollup-Centric Future & Sovereign Chains with Mustafa Al-Bassam Ismail Khoffi of Celestia (Sovereign Radio) Celestia Improvement Proposal GitHub Introducing the Celestia Improvement Proposal Process Introduction to Arbitrum rollups with Celestia as DA Introducing Blobstr

In this week’s episode, Anna and Tarun chat with Noam Nisan, Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Principle Researcher at StarkWare Industries and one of the pioneers in the field of Algorithmic Game Theory. They cover his extensive research and academic background, starting with his work on complexity theory as well as Algorithmic Game Theory and his current work on blockchains and Tokenomics at StarkWare. They discuss his recent blog post; Simple Tokenomics for a Proof-of-Stake Utility Token, comparing the measurable Tokenomic outcomes of different live PoS systems and explore how Noam aimed to better communicate best practices for those designing these systems, plus much more.Here’s some additional links for this episode:Simple Tokenomics for a Proof-of-Stake Utility Token by Noam NisanAlgorithmic Game Theory by Nisan, Roughgarden, Tardos and Vasirani The Elements of Computing Systems by Nisan and Schocken Game Theory, Alive by Karlin and Peres Algorithmic VS Mechanism Design The Federmann Cent

** This episode uses visual aids and slides throughout, you may want to check out the video version here**In this week’s episode, Anna and Nico Mohnblatt from Geometry Research host a ZK Jargon Decoder episode. Based on Nico’s ZK Jargon Decoder Website, they discuss some of the confusing terms and concepts commonly used by the ZK community. The session aims to be digestible for those still in the early stages of their ZK learning journey, but it does take a dive into the depths of detail every now and again! This episode uses visual aids and slides throughout, so you may want to check out the full video version of this discussion over on the ZK Podcast YouTube channel. This ZK Jargon Decoder Session is also very well complimented by the ZK Whiteboard sessions. Nico specifically references sessions 1, 4, 5 and 6. Here’s some additional links for this episode:ZK HACK IV - ZK Jargon Decoder ZK Jargon Decoder GitHub ZK Hack IV Sessions Playlist ZK-WALDO: A Simple Zero Knowledge Proof ZK Whiteboard Sessions: What

In this week’s episode, Anna catches up with Prabal Banerjee, co-founder of Avail. They deep dive into Prabal’s career, starting with his work in academia, his move to Polygon and to his spinning out the Avail project. They discuss how the project was built, tech decisions and the motivations behind them as well as their use of KZG, validity proofs and their position within the Ethereum and wider blockchain ecosystem. They go on to revisit Data Availability and the interaction with different parts of the modular blockchain stack, comparing Avail to competing systems and cover edge-cases and their impact in a DA-secured stack. Here’s some additional links for this episode:Polygon.technology Fraud and Data Availability Proofs: Maximising Light Client Security and Scaling Blockchains with Dishonest Majorities by Al-Bassam, Sonnino and Buterin Episode 208: Digging into Data Availability with Ismail Khoffi from Celestia Episode 268: A Rollup-Centric Future & Sovereign Chains with Mustafa Al-Bassam Episode 301:

This week, Anna caught up on all things Aleo with Howard Wu co-founder of the Aleo Network & Alex Pruden executive director of the Aleo Foundation. Howard was last on the show back in 2020 when Aleo was in its infancy, so the group dive into how the project has evolved over the last few years, covering lessons learned along the way as well as technical decisions, detours, breakthroughs and reflecting on initial goals as they built out the system. Here’s some additional links for this episode:Episode 144: Aleo with Howard WuEpisode 38: Intro to zkSNARKs with Howard Wuzk-creds: Flexible Anonymous Credentials from zkSNARKs and Existing Identity Infrastructure by Rosenberg, White, Garman, and MierszPass by Aleo Cloudflare Aleo HQ GitHub for ZEXE Leo by AleoPenumbra ZK Hack IV online is now live, sign up for the next session on Tuesday 23 Jan here. For the latest news on the event check out the zhhack.dev/zkhackIV website.Launching soon, Namada is a proof-of-stake L1 blockchain focused on multichain, asset-ag

In this week’s episode, Anna and cohosts Guillermo, Kobi, Nico and Tarun share their predictions, hopes (and worries) for ZK in 2024. They cover emerging ideas in ZK, research predictions, dream applications, the best case for ZK in 2024, the worst case for ZK, possible ‘Black Swans’ and more. ZK Hack IV online is coming soon, sign up for the kick-off session on 16th Jan here. For the latest news on the event check out the zhhack.dev/zkhackIV website. Aleo is a new Layer-1 blockchain that achieves the programmability of Ethereum, the privacy of Zcash, and the scalability of a rollup. As Aleo is gearing up for their mainnet launch in Q1, this is an invitation to be part of a transformational ZK journey. Dive deeper and discover more about Aleo at http://aleo.org/ If you like what we do: Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree Subscribe to our podcast newsletter Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm Join us on Telegram Catch us on YouTube

In this week’s episode, Anna catches up in person with Guillermo, Tarun and Alex Evans for a look back at 2023. They revisit their state of mind back in Jan 2023 and share how the year unfolded and evolved for each of them as well as the ZK space as a whole. They survey the themes, applications and research topics that dominated ZK throughout this year and offer retrospective takes on how the ecosystem has changed. Hope you enjoy! We are taking the next week off, but will return with our look forward to 2024 episode in the new year. Here’s some additional links for this episode:Succinct Proofs in Linear Algebra by Evans and Angeris17 misconceptions about SNARKs (and why they hold us back) by ThalerAnna Rose’s zkpod.ai Blog Postzkpod.ai WebsiteEpisode 265: Where ZK and ML intersect with Yi Sun and Daniel KangEpisode 256: New ZK Use Cases with Dan Boneh Episode 260: ZK in 2023 with Kobi, Guillermo, and Tarun Episode 302: ZK for web2 interop with zkLogin & ZK Email zkSummit9 Playlist ZK Hack Lisbon ZK Hack I

In this week’s episode, host Anna Rose and cohost Nico Mohnblatt catch up with Ulrich Haböck, an applied cryptographer at Polygon Labs. This episode revolves around Ulrich’s journey into applied zero-knowledge cryptography, transitioning from an academic environment to being a full-time practitioner. They discuss his contributions to the field, including his many write-ups and manuscripts as well as his breakthrough research on Multivariate lookups with his work logUp. They also cover his work on logarithmic derivative lookups using GKR with Shahar Papini, as well as his innovative approaches to STARKs over finite fields that are not ‘NTT-friendly’. This episode offers a deep dive into the complexities and breakthroughs in applied cryptography.Here’s some additional links for this episode:A summary on the FRI low degree test by Ulrich Haböck Brakedown's expander code by Ulrich Haböck Improving LogUp with GKR - By Ulrich from PolygonImproving logarithmic derivative lookups using GKR by Papini and Haböck flooku

In this week's episode, Anna and cohost Brendan Farmer catch up with Jim Posen and Radi Cojbasic from Ulvetanna. They cover the origin story of Ulvetanna and their work on the ZK hardware/software intersection before moving on to discuss Binius, a new proving system they developed which is optimised for hardware. Binius is built on towers of binary fields and draws on recent breakthroughs on SNARKs. This work continues the trend towards the use of smaller fields and was inspired by the development of new lookup arguments, work done on multilinear provers and sum-check as well as the use of recursive composition in SNARKs. Here’s some additional links for this episode:Succinct Arguments over Towers of Binary Fields by Diamond and Posen Binius: a Hardware-Optimized SNARKEpisode 170: Hardware for ZKPs & VDFs with Supranational Episode 266: ZK Hardware Sessions with Zprize Pt. 1Episode 267: ZK Hardware Sessions with Zprize Pt. 2Scalable, transparent, and post-quantum secure computational integrity by Ben-Sass

This week Anna and cohost Kobi chat with both Kostas Kryptos from Mysten Labs, discussing the zkLogin project and Aayush Gupta representing the ZK Email + Email Wallet projects. They explore the use case of web2 onboarding into web3, through the lens of these two different projects which emerged independently but share a lot of the same characteristics. They discuss the way this use case problem was first identified, the solution that each project came up with independently, the decisions that each project took and the future use cases they would enable.Here’s some additional links mentioned in this episode:Sui by zkLogin zkSend by Mysten Labs ZK Email Email WalletAayush G’s ZK Email Blog JSON Web Token Winterfell STARK prover and verifier Contract Wallet Using Emails by Suegami and Shibano xJsnark: A Framework for Efficient Verifiable Computation by Kosba Papamanthou and Shi RSA Algorithm in Cryptography Further relevant links:Episode 227: Move & Sui with Sam Blackshear from Mysten LabsEpisode 257: Proof

This week, Anna catches up with Tarun Chitra and Sreeram Kannan during a spontaneous session recorded at Devconnect 2023 in Istanbul! They cover a variety of topics seen at the event, including zk toolkits, intents and Data Availability, shedding light on how these ideas are reshaping the framework of digital interaction and governance. Their chat covers the challenges and opportunities these technologies present, highlighting their significance in the current ecosystem. Later, they explore the complexities and nuances of EigenLayer, offering detailed insights into its functionalities, applications, and potential impact on the industry. Here’s some additional links for this episode:ZK Hack IRL Istanbul wrap article ZK Hack Tweet announcing the winners. Sign up here for ZK Hack IV Online updates EigenLayer EigenLayer: The Restaking Collective by EigenLayer Team Parachains' Protocol Overview - reference to Fishermen Episode 217: Information Theory & Blockchain with Sreeram Kannan ZK7: Hyperscale Data Availa

In this week’s episode, Anna takes a look back at the last 6 years of the Zero Knowledge Podcast, how it came to be and the journey the show has been on since that very first episode in 2017. Anna reviews the highs and lows of the show, touching on episodes which made a profound impact on her own journey in the ZK space, as well as episodes she wouldn’t rush to listen to again! Discover key show learnings, how the zkSummit formed and take a trip down memory lane in the 300th episode of Zero Knowledge Podcast. To check out all the ZK Podcast episodes mentioned in this episode, visit the zeroknowledge.fm website here Check out one of the earliest zkSummit talks on the very first event: Zero knowledge proofs intro with Str4d (Zcash) The full zkSummit Playlist Sign up here for ZK Hack IV Online updates If you like what we do: Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree Subscribe to our podcast newsletter Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm Join us on Telegram Catch us on YouTube

In this week's episode, Anna chats with Alex Gluchowski, CEO of Matter Labs & co-creator of the zkSync network. They catch up on the zkSync project since it launched in Feb 2023. They dive into recent initiatives like the ZK Stack framework, Hyperchains, and the ZK Credo mission statement. They also explore the upcoming Boojum proof system upgrade planned for zkSync Era and discuss the future of the zkSync project as a whole.Here’s some additional links for this episode:Introducing the ZK Stack Introduction to HyperchainsMatter Labs Era Boojum GitHubzkSync Era: Everything you need to know about ZK Credo, ZK Stack, & Boojum Upgrade Episode 72: zkSNARKs for Scale with Matter LabsEpisode 116: zkSync and Redshift: Matter Labs updateEpisode 175: zkEVM & zkPorter with Matter Labs Introducing zkSync: the missing link to mass adoption of Ethereum The different types of ZK-EVMs by Vitalik ButerinDifferent types of layer 2sL2BEAT emailwallet.org prove.email Check out the latest in ZK Jobs on our Jobs Board

In this week's episode Anna Rose chats with Brandon Kase, CTO, and Steve Pack, Head of Product at O(1)Labs, focusing on the Mina Protocol. The discussion covers their journeys leading to their work on the project, developments in the Mina Protocol since the last appearance on ZK Podcast, and insights into the zkApps building environment. They delve into the technical aspects of o1js and the underlying philosophy that drives its design. The episode wraps with a forward-looking perspective on the potential applications of zero-knowledge proofs as the industry shifts from a research-centric to a builder-centric approach.Links referenced in this episode:Episode 54: Digging into recursive zkSNARKs with Coda Episode 199: Snapps on Mina with Emre and Izaak Episode 276: Expanding Computation on Ethereum with Axiom Further relevant links:Episode 113: Latest recursive SNARKitecture with Izaak Meckler from O(1)Labs O(1)Labs Website o1js GitHub Introduction to o1js Mina Protocol Docs Check out the ZK Jobs BoardNEAR Found

In this week’s episode, Anna and Nico interview Or Sattath, Assistant Professor at the Ben-Gurion University in the Computer Science department. This is the 2nd episode with Or on this show, continuing the conversation around Quantum Cryptography. This time, he describes how we can transition from a pre-quantum to a post-quantum environment, looking at existing systems like Bitcoin and Ethereum. He covers why the methods used in the transition will be important, techniques on how this could be executed and the challenges in designing these techniques and the complications that can arise. Finally, they go on to discuss Quantum Money and recent works in this area.Here’s some additional links for this episode:Part 1 - Episode 288: Quantum Cryptography with Or Sattath Polynomial-Time Algorithms for Prime Factorization and Discrete Logarithms on a Quantum Computer by Shor Shor’s Algorithm Grover’s Algorithm A fast quantum mechanical algorithm for database search by Grover Fawkescoin: A cryptocurrency without publi

In this week’s episode, Anna and Nico catch up with Brian Retford and Jeremy Bruestle from RISC Zero. They delve into the current status of the project, breaking down the components of the stack, from the RISC Zero zkVM leveraging the RISC-V instruction set architecture to the Bonsai proving service and their new zkEVM, Zeth. They also touch on their design methodology, how the system components integrate and future developments for RISC Zero.Here’s some additional resources for this episode:RISC Zero Developer Guide: Rust Resources RISC Zero GitHub: Rust CratesUsing Continuations to Prove Any EVM TransactionRISC-V Website https://zkbench.devEpisode 251: Exploring RISC Zero with Brian Retford and Jeremy BruestleZK9: Future ZK Emerging Use Cases and Key Enablers – Brian Retford (RISC Zero) ZK Hack Lisbon: Creating Zero-Knowledge Proofs with RISC Zero Applications are now open to attend zkHack Istanbul - Nov 10-12! Apply here: https://www.zkistanbul.com/ Launching soon, Namada is a proof-of-stake L1 blockchain

In this week’s episode, Anna Rose is joined by Nigel Smart, Professor at KU Leuven and Chief Academic Officer at Zama to discuss the advancements in MPC over recent years. Nigel unpacks core components of MPC systems, including garbled circuits, secret sharing, and FHE. They discuss both systems-level applications like DKGs and Threshold Signature Schemes and actual real-world deployments. Throughout the episode, they also discuss how MPC and ZK differ, but how they can be used together to enhance each other's capabilities.Here’s some additional links for this episode:17 misconceptions about SNARKs (and why they hold us back by Justin ThalerNigel Smart’s GitHub Unbound Security GitHub Unbound Security Twitter MPC Alliance What is a multi-party computation (MPC) wallet? Relevant ZK Podcast epsTrusted Setups & FHEEpisode 76: Sean Bowe on SNARKs, Trusted Setups & Elliptic Curve Cryptography Episode 124: Exploring FHE with Flavio Bergamaschi from IBM Research Episode 133: Trusted Setup Ceremonies Explored

In this week’s episode, host Anna Rose and co-host Kobi Gurkan chat with Alex Evans and Guillermo Angeris about their new research paper on Succinct Proofs in Linear Algebra. The paper introduces a framework that simplifies the construction of succinct proofs and offers a toolkit of useful techniques. Their conversation also covers the use of randomized reductions in zero-knowledge proofs, the security of the FRI protocol, and the potential applications of the framework in other systems. Here’s some additional links for this episode:*PapersSuccinct Proofs in Linear Algebra by Evans and AngerisAlgebraic Reductions of Knowledge by Kothapalli and Parno Proximity Testing with Logarithmic Randomness by Diamond and PosenLigero: Lightweight Sublinear Arguments Without a Trusted Setup by Ames, Hazay, Ishai and VenkitasubramaniamSumcheck Arguments and their Applications by Bootle, Chiesa and Sotiraki Proofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge by Thaler Stephen Boyd Papers *Other linksEpisode 140: Staking derivatives &

On this week’s episode, Anna Rose interviews Michał Zając and Albert Garreta from the Nethermind team. They discuss the origin story of Nethermind and its role in the ecosystem today. They also delve into the cryptography research being done at Nethermind, including their work on proving the security of FRI-based protocols, identifying security issues with Fiat-Shamir, exploring topics like ZK malleability and aggregation, and building SNARKs over rings.Here’s some additional links for this episode:Fiat-Shamir Security of FRI and Related SNARKs by Block, Garreta, Katz, Thaler, Tiwari and Zając On Soundness Notions for Interactive Oracle Proofs by Block, Garreta, Tiwari and Zając NIZKs with an Untrusted CRS: Security in the Face of Parameter Subversion by Bellare, Fuchsbauer and Scafuro Mathematical Problems By Professor David Hilbert A summary on the FRI low degree test by Ulrich HaböckDEEP-FRI: Sampling Outside the Box Improves Soundness by Ben-Sasson, Goldberg, Kopparty, and SarafFiat-Shamir Transformation

In this special live episode, recorded at zkSummit10, host Anna Rose chats with regular co-hosts Tarun Chitra, Guillermo Angeris and Nico Mohnblatt about the state of ZK today.They cover how the term ‘ZK’ has evolved, market trends that are relevant to the ZK community today and ZK ‘crossovers’ like ZKML or ZKFHE and their current status in the industry. They also discuss how the ZK space could grow in the future and share their predictions. Much of the conversation is fuelled by some great questions and comments from the live zk10 audience.This is the first episode recorded live from a ZK Podcast event, so if you have any feedback, pls tweet us @zeroknowledgefm!Here’s some additional links for this episode:Episode 90: MPC systems with Nigel SmartEpisode 173: Building Private AMMs with Guillermo Angeris (Guillermo’s first episode!)Episode 269: Auctions with Kshitij Kulkarni, Matheus V. X. Ferreira and Tarun Episode 270: FHE and ZKPs with Sunscreen’s Ravital Solomon 17 misconceptions about SNARKs (and why they