Introduction to the Shared Proof Layer: Why It Has Become a Crucial Cornerstone for Modular Development

With the increasing demand for Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) technology in recent times, more and more projects require related proof calculation resources. As a result, a new modular field called Shared Provers has emerged. This article will provide a detailed introduction to its sources of demand and existing projects.

Table of Contents
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What problems does the Shared Provers network aim to solve?
Introduction to the Shared Provers network
Differences between Provers and Sequencers
Operation process of the Shared Provers network
Advantages of the Shared Provers network
Introduction to Shared Provers projects
Nebra
Avail Nexus
AggLayer
Shared Provers network will be a modular new field
The advantage of ZK Rollup solutions is that they can greatly increase transaction speed by moving transaction calculations off-chain to speed up processing, while verifying Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK-proofs) on Ethereum for finality. By separating computation and verification, transaction speed is maximized, making Zero-Knowledge Proof technology an important key to blockchain development.

By computing ZK circuits to generate Zero-Knowledge Proofs for verification on the mainnet
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However, generating ZK proofs requires high computational power. This will increase node costs and reduce efficiency at this stage. Centralized provers can decrease performance and increase user gas fees during peak network periods, making shared provers a good solution to this problem.

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Although some projects have plans for the future, current ZK-based Rollups such as zkSync, Starknet, and Scroll all process user-submitted transactions with their own separate provers and sequencers. The latter has already seen significant development in decentralized and shared networks, while provers have not received much market attention.

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zkSync operational architecture diagram
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The Shared Provers network, also known as Proof Aggregation, primarily aims to decentralize the process of computing Zero-Knowledge Proofs to improve efficiency. On the other hand, shared sequencers outsource the task of transaction ordering to decentralized networks. While both are related to the efficiency and security of Rollups, they serve different purposes.

Recommended Reading:
Perspective | Decentralizing Rollup Sequencers to Bring More Opportunities to the On-Chain Ecosystem
Recommended Reason: This article explains the technical and economic challenges of decentralizing sequencers and explores the opportunities it can bring. It can be read in conjunction with this article to better understand the differences and uses of sequencers and provers.

Using the Shared Provers layer, the ideal transaction operation process is as follows:
Rollups or other demanders submit proof requests.
An automated matching mechanism selects one or more provers.
The chosen provers generate proofs to fulfill the requests.
If multiple provers participate, the proofs are aggregated.
The final proof is submitted to Layer1 for verification.

The Shared Provers network can outsource the proof resources required by Rollups, allowing other specialized providers in the network to assist with computation and generation. Through specialization, better efficiency and cost optimization can be achieved.

The Shared Provers network can split larger proof demands into multiple provers according to the architecture to further improve efficiency. On the other hand, it can also integrate batch proof demands into a single proof, reducing computation and on-chain costs, enabling smaller-scale Rollups to share costs with other projects.

The ideal Shared Provers network is trustless, meaning it can be part of a modular architecture provided to various projects for their computational resources. It can help teams that need Zero-Knowledge computation support but lack relevant hardware and development capabilities to quickly build products.

(Arweave promotes decentralized computation network ao to create an innovative smart contract computation environment)

Nebra is a generic Zero-Knowledge Proof aggregation layer project that bundles and processes the demands of multiple Zero-Knowledge Proof-based services in batches, achieving cheaper proof and verification costs. However, the current architecture of this project is still centralized, with decentralization as the future goal.

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Nebra aims to integrate multiple zk applications to generate proofs in batches
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Nebra’s security is ensured through mechanisms. Nebra has a mechanism similar to existing Layer2 escape hatches. If a prover inspects transaction content or delays proof computation and submission, the project using the service can choose to bypass the prover and enforce proof settlement on Layer1.

Nebra’s test network is currently open.

Nexus is a decentralized data availability layer project under Avail that provides Zero-Knowledge Proof computation and sequencer services for Rollups projects with specific needs. This improves the ecosystem of Avail and maximizes potential markets.

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Projects using Avail can choose Nexus modules based on their specific needs
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Nexus regularly submits aggregated proofs to Ethereum and Avail DA for verification.

AggLayer is an aggregation layer developed by the Polygon team, aiming to provide liquidity for all blockchain networks through unified bridge technology and build shared provers that aggregate Zero-Knowledge Proofs from all chains for settlement and verification on the Ethereum mainnet.

Currently, the concept of modularization in the industry usually focuses on execution layers, consensus layers, settlement layers, and data availability layers (DA). However, with the maturity of Rollups and Zero-Knowledge Proof technology, the demand for computing Zero-Knowledge Proofs is gradually increasing, and the Shared Provers network may become a new important field in the future.

However, it is also possible to evolve into an aggregation layer service that integrates both sequencer and prover services, similar to the product constructed by Nexus.

Regardless of how the industry is classified, the demand for computing Zero-Knowledge Proofs will undoubtedly present a growing market opportunity.

Prover
Rollups
Shared Provers
ZKP
Proof
Zero-Knowledge Proof

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