SNARKtor Proof of Concept Unveiled: Telos' CTO Explains

At EthCC in Brussels, our CTO Jesse Schulman is showcasing a live demonstration of SNARKtor, our proof aggregation protocol. This tool aggregates Zero Knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to scale them on-chain.

What is SNARKtor? 

SNARKtor is a decentralized and efficient protocol for the aggregation of SNARK proofs. It leverages efficient recursive proof aggregation based on Plonky2 to generate a single ZK proof that validates several ZK proofs. 

Understanding ZKPs

Zero Knowledge means proving something without disclosing any additional information. But what are ZKPs? They allow one to prove a fact about data without revealing the data itself.

Battleship Analogy

Imagine playing the game Battleship; you want to confirm your opponent's hits or misses without showing your board. That's what ZKPs do, and SNARKtor makes it more efficient.

Live Demo in Brussels

Our live demo in Brussels shows SNARKtor handling real transactions on a testnet. The Battleship game runs live, with proofs submitted on-chain. This proof of concept is a critical step towards deploying SNARKtor on the mainnet.

POC in Action

In our demonstration, we use a digital Battleship game to illustrate SNARKtor in action. Players take turns, and their moves are submitted as proofs via SNARKtor. When a player takes a shot, a proof is generated and aggregated by SNARKtor before being submitted on-chain. This shows how SNARKtor combines multiple proofs into one to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

How it works: 

For the first PoC we developed, we wanted to use the Risc Zero zkVM for user proof generation in order to provide a better developer experience.

To make it possible, we developed "Risclonky2", a Risc Zero to Plonky2 wrapper. Risclonky2 implements a Plonky2 SNARK circuit to prove the validity of a Risc Zero receipt.

In addition to that, to have more efficient Risclonky2 proofs, we extended Risc Zero by introducing the Poseidon over Goldilocks hash function.

In this way, we transform a Risc Zero proof into a SNARKtor Base proof that can be processed by the SNARKtor aggregation layer.

The first example we developed in the PoC is an on-chain Battleship game, where users in the game flow generate zk proofs, and leverage SNARKtor aggregation to have a more efficient and cost-effective on-chain verification.

The aggregated proof is then submitted to the SNARKtor smart contract, verified, and stored.

At this point, users can interact with an application-specific smart contract to execute the on-chain logic. Such smart contract leverages the SNARKtor on-chain SDK to validate the proof reference (aka SNARKtor certificate).

Aggregating Proofs: Why?

Aggregating proofs significantly reduces gas costs and verification time on the blockchain. Instead of submitting multiple individual proofs, SNARKtor combines them into a single proof.

Example:

Submitting 100 individual proofs might cost $1,000 in gas fees. By aggregating, we only pay for one proof, saving 99% of the cost.

The Future of SNARKtor

We aim to use SNARKtor for various purposes, including privacy transactions, rollups, and more. This system isn't limited to Telos; it can be applied to any blockchain that wants to benefit from proof aggregation. Our goal is to integrate SNARKtor with our zkEVM to enhance scalability and efficiency.

SNARKtor Integration with our zkEVM L2

SNARKtor will be integrated with our zkEVM layer 2 solution. We will have SNARKtor aggregating proofs into the zkEVM,  Here’s how it works:

• SNARKtor will allow user proofs to come in. 
• Those user proofs are aggregated together some text
  • Examples of user proofs: privacy transaction, rollup, battleship game
• These proofs are then submitted to the zkEVM.
• The zkEVM produces a rollup proof.
• SNARKtor aggregates the rollup proof again.
• The aggregated proof is submitted to Ethereum 

This sandwiching process enhances scalability and reduces costs.

Role of Hardware Acceleration

How can we take this further? By using a hardware-software approach to proof generation. We've partnered with Ponos Technology for hardware acceleration.

Importance:

For privacy, proofs should be generated on the user's device. For scaling, hardware acceleration allows us to handle more transactions faster and more efficiently.

Privacy vs. Scaling in ZKPs

ZKPs have dual benefits: privacy and scaling. For privacy, they ensure data is not shared. For scaling, they reduce the computational load on the blockchain. SNARKtor is designed to handle both aspects effectively, depending on the use case.

SNARKtor: A Universal Solutions for all Blockchains

By supporting diverse proof types, SNARKtor can cater to different blockchain needs, making it a universal solution for proof aggregation. Multiple blockchains can benefit from this technology, ensuring Zero Knowledge proofs are accessible to the masses.

Telos’ SNARKtor is a groundbreaking tool for proof aggregation. It reduces costs and enhances blockchain scalability. As we integrate it with our zkEVM and expand its use cases, SNARKtor is set to bring significant advancements in Zero Knowledge proof technology. Everything we have theorized on paper is now beginning to become a reality with SNARKtor. Multiple proofs will result in multiple use cases, bringing Zero Knowledge technology to the masses and transforming how we interact with our digital data.

Everything we have theorized on paper is now beginning to become a reality with SNARKtor.  Multiple proofs will result in multiple use cases, bringing Zero Knowledge technology to the masses and transforming how we interact with our digital data.

Key Links

SNARKtor Litepaper: https://assets.website-files.com/650f276b38fe3eaebe9f805a/65d6a695f2e0022be0ebb701_SNARKtor%20Litepaper.pdf

SNARKtor Whitepaper: https://assets.website-files.com/650f276b38fe3eaebe9f805a/65d69f2fd7d126b862d91db2_Snarktor%20Whitepaper.pdf