TechFlow news: Vitalik published a blog post discussing the benefits and challenges of Layer 1 ZK-EVM. He noted that Layer-2 EVM protocols on Ethereum rely on EVM validation, leading to trust issues involving large codebases that could be vulnerable to hacker exploits due to bugs.
Vitalik explained that ZK-EVM essentially performs the same task as verifying Layer 1 Ethereum blocks. In the coming years, light clients are expected to become increasingly powerful, soon reaching the point where ZK-SNARKs can fully verify L1 EVM execution. At that stage, the Ethereum network will effectively have a built-in ZK-EVM. So here's the question: why not make the ZK-EVM itself available for use by rollups?
The article outlines several versions for implementing a "formalized ZK-EVM," highlighting the advantages of achieving protocol-level functionality, while also weighing the impact on the ecosystem and the benefits of keeping the base protocol simple. Layer 2 projects will continue to focus on value-added services such as fast pre-confirmations, MEV mitigation strategies, EVM extensions, and user- and developer-friendly conveniences.
