Ethereum RISC-V Initiative on the Agenda: RISC Zero Builds General zkVM, Boundless Opens New Era of Verifiable Computing

At a time when verifiable computation is becoming the narrative center of the industry, RISC Zero is reshaping the performance and trust boundaries of blockchain with a more universal and open zero-knowledge computation architecture. With the industry's first general zkVM based on RISC-V and the cross-chain verifiable computation layer Boundless, this geek team is pushing zero-knowledge proofs from niche tools towards scalable cloud computing power, attempting to equip the decentralized internet with a verifiable "super computing engine."

Recently, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed significant adjustments to the execution layer of the Ethereum network: replacing the current Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode with the RISC-V instruction set. The new scheme will not change the core functions of accounts, storage, and other smart contracts, but it will fundamentally alter the way contract code is compiled and executed. To some extent, Vitalik's proposal is not only a re-upgrade of the standardization and composability of the Ethereum execution layer, but it also brings "verifiable computation," a technology once considered expensive and experimental, back to the center of industry narrative.

1. RISC Zero: Pioneer of General zkVM

On the evolutionary path of verifiable computation, RISC Zero, a zero-knowledge proof startup from the United States, is one of the earliest and most representative practitioners. They not only built the industry's first general-purpose zkVM based on the same RISC-V architecture but also further constructed Boundless, a verifiable computing layer, attempting to upgrade zero-knowledge proofs from a single-point tool to a cross-chain shared and marketable "cloud computing power." This means that in the future, developers will no longer be bound by high on-chain Gas fees or the limitations of the EVM itself, but can invoke nearly unlimited verifiable computing resources on any blockchain.

Currently, the Boundless mainnet Beta version is now online. Its CEO Shiv Shankar stated: "Boundless achieves secure cross-chain computation by avoiding redundant computational tasks, thereby enhancing the scalability of the Blockchain. This not only improves efficiency and strengthens security but also allows developers and miners to participate across ecosystems." Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake indicated: "The RISC Zero zkVM that underpins the Boundless ecosystem meets all the critical requirements for Ethereum scaling: instant proof capability, a home multi-GPU verification environment, a permissive open-source license, and zero-based underlying implementation."

In just a few days on the Boundless mainnet Beta version, this first market validating Ethereum consensus has reached a scale of 50 billion, which is 10 times the current maximum validation (3 billion); a total of 576 validators successfully submitted proofs, making it the most decentralized validator network in the world; the market scale achieved a tenfold growth, with daily order volume reaching a peak of 8,000 orders, and a computing cycle number as high as 26 trillion, with almost no downtime and over 99% of orders completed every day; an external validator set a new speed record, reaching 5.63MHz, far exceeding the previous 2.5MHz; orders have almost always remained at 0 locked orders, giving us a glimpse of the potential impact of POWV (Proof of Work Validation) on ZK proof adoption in the early stages of mainnet launch; open innovation among validators has already begun, with one highlight being that validators can lock tasks in the same block at a speed of less than 100 milliseconds.

2. The Working Principle and Design Breakthrough of Boundless

On the journey of evolving zero-knowledge proofs from a single-point tool to a universal computation layer, Boundless's key breakthrough lies in transforming verifiable computing from an isolated technical capability into a marketable, composable on-chain infrastructure.

Specifically, the core logic of Boundless has three main elements: Universal zkVM, cross-chain verification protocol, and PoVW (Proof of Verifiable Work) economic model.

Universal zkVM: The Boundless underlying system relies on RISC Zero's self-developed zkVM (R0VM 2.0), which is based on the open standard RISC-V architecture and can execute any general-purpose program, generating verifiable zero-knowledge proofs. This means that whether it's EVM smart contracts, Rollup state proofs, or off-chain complex computations, zkVM can be responsible for producing validity proofs, which are then quickly verified by on-chain contracts, making the entire process transparent to the end users and the main chain.

Cross-chain verification protocol: Boundless is not limited to a specific chain, but was designed as a native cross-chain solution from the beginning: it creates a permissionless settlement market by simultaneously deploying Boundless Market contracts on multiple chains, automatically matching developers' proof requirements with the computing power resources of Prover nodes around the world. More importantly, the Boundless Market has been natively deployed on all major chains, allowing developers to interact with local contract addresses and pay fees using the native tokens of their respective chains, without leaving their familiar ecosystem, thus obtaining verifiable computation proofs instantly. This design of a cross-chain decentralized market significantly lowers the access threshold, making verifiable computation truly a schedulable, billable, and composable on-chain public resource, just like cloud services.

PoVW Incentive Mechanism: The most groundbreaking aspect lies in the PoVW incentive mechanism. Unlike PoW, which only rewards hash computations, and PoS, which rewards idle capital, PoVW commercializes the actual computational workload of zk-SNARKs for the first time, completing a closed loop with on-chain measurement and payment. The more valid cycles the Prover completes, the more token incentives they can earn in line with the workload, and the measurement data is fully recorded on-chain and auditable. This mechanism not only ensures flexibility in Computing Power supply but also encourages more nodes to continuously optimize proof efficiency and reduce costs, forming a verifiable Computing Power supply and demand market.

In an interview with the media in March this year, Jacob Everly, the head of technology products, revealed that the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Singapore has developed a prototype system using RISC Zero and Boundless technologies, which can verify whether traders in the Asia-Pacific region can conduct transactions on the Singapore Exchange without requiring them to provide complete personal information. Users only need to upload their passport and mobile number to generate a zero knowledge proof (ZKP) that proves they meet the trading qualifications. Currently, more than 30 teams plan to build and deploy applications on Boundless. Jacob Everly stated: "Our goal is to reach 100 cooperative teams by next year, making Boundless the industry standard."

Three, the multidimensional technological landscape of RISC Zero

In addition to Boundless, RISC Zero continues to iterate on the usability and scalability of zk-SNARKs, launching multiple key products that further solidify its technical moat as a general-purpose verifiable computing platform.

R0VM 2.0: The core zkVM has been completely revamped, reducing the proof time for a single Ethereum block from 35 minutes to just 44 seconds, while the proof cost on the OP chain has dropped by 5 times, with the minimum cost for a single transaction now only 0.0012 USD, significantly lowering the barrier for developers to access ZK. At the same time, R0VM 2.0 has enhanced memory and precompiled support, allowing it to handle larger scale EVM proofs and verifiable media content, with plans to achieve 12-second real-time proofs this year, further pushing zero-knowledge proofs from experimentation to mass production. It is worth noting that R0VM 3.0 is also under development and is expected to be released later this year. This version will utilize Ethereum's newly launched Binius proof system, further improving proof speeds.

ZK Co-processor Steel 2.0: In response to the inherent limitations of the EVM ecosystem, RISC Zero has also released the ZK Co-processor Steel 2.0, which can perform complex computations, historical state access, and cross-block calculations off-chain, achieving on-chain security verification with proof costs as low as 270,000 gas, compatible with Solidity and R0-Helios light clients, facilitating deployment on Ethereum and OP Stack.

OP Kailua Validity Model: Provides the ability for OP Rollup to smoothly transition to ZK Rollup without major restructuring, obtaining the high security and fast settlement brought by ZK. Projects such as Base and BOB have already integrated, offering a cost-effective upgrade option for high throughput chains.

IV. The Mission and Ambition of RISC Zero

RISC Zero is a team that embodies both a rebellious spirit and a rational pursuit of technology. In early 2022, at the ETH Denver conference, several members of RISC Zero successfully infiltrated the venue, holding fabric and simple tools purchased from a local print shop. It was during this "hacker breakout" that they reached early investment intentions with the first batch of investors.

With this unconventional spirit of adventure and in-depth exploration of zk-SNARKs technology, RISC Zero continues to win sustained bets from the capital market: In March 2022, they completed $2 million in angel funding and secured $12 million in seed funding in August of the same year; in July 2023, they successfully obtained $4 million in a new round of funding.

Unlike other zero-knowledge projects, RISC Zero has chosen a more universal path: building the world's first zkVM capable of executing arbitrary general-purpose code on the open-source RISC-V instruction set, allowing zero-knowledge proofs to truly possess universal computing capabilities and lower the development threshold, enabling developers to continue using familiar programming toolchains, such as modern languages like Rust, without having to worry about the efficiency of ZK and easy-to-use toolchains.

Today, this small team composed of geeks and futurists is trying to build an open, cross-chain, permissionless verifiable computing ecosystem on zkVM, bringing a new trust foundation to the decentralized internet—this is the origin and ambition of Boundless.

Conclusion:

Boundless is not just another technical attempt by RISC Zero in the field of zk-SNARKs, but also a practical demonstration of how verifiable computing is moving towards an open market, cross-chain collaboration, and scalable cloud computing power. As Boundless and its underlying components like zkVM and PoVW continue to evolve, this experiment around the "verifiable decentralized supercomputing engine" may be paving a more universal and ambitious path for computing power in the blockchain world.