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Base Adds ZK Proofs to Base Azul with SP1

by Succinct 2 min read
Base Adds ZK Proofs to Base Azul with SP1

Base is partnering with Succinct to prove $7.4 billion in deposits with zero-knowledge proofs.

Today, we're announcing that Base is partnering with Succinct to bring zero-knowledge proofs to the Base chain. Base’s Azul upgrade will use SP1 to prove $7.4 billion in deposits.

This is a defining moment for Ethereum and its scaling roadmap. With Base upgrading to zero-knowledge, the largest layer 2 chains have validity proofs on their roadmap. Leading chains like Base use SP1 to generate their proofs, making SP1 critical infrastructure for chains that need speed and security.

Proving Base with SP1

Base's current fault-proof system is optimistic and interactive: a batch of transactions is assumed valid unless someone challenges it within a 7-day window, slowing down withdrawals for $7.4B in assets.

The upcoming Azul proof system upgrades Base to a multi-proof system combining TEE and ZK proofs as an intermediary step towards full ZK proving. When a ZK proof – generated by SP1 – and TEE proof back the same proposal, the Base chain unlocks three important properties:

  1. Faster finality. Finality drops from seven days to one if a proposal to withdraw funds back to mainnet is backed by both a ZK and TEE proof. That means faster withdrawals and better capital efficiency.
  2. Cryptographic security. Fault proofs rely on proposers to bond capital when submitting proposals. Azul’s ZK path complements Base’s existing security model with cryptographic guarantees that help prove correctness.
  3. A path to Stage 2 decentralization. Reaching Stage 2 requires a way to detect proof system errors onchain. Azul accomplishes this through contradiction: ZK proofs are posted permissionlessly and override permissioned TEE proofs when the two disagree.

The Most Advanced zkVM in Production

Within the past year, several major chains have migrated from optimistic proof systems to ZK proofs. This is because zero-knowledge virtual machines (zkVMs) like SP1 have become increasingly performant and cheap. Generating ZK proofs for L2 blocks used to take hours and required writing bespoke circuits. SP1 lets teams write programs in standard Rust, compile to RISC-V, and generate ZK proofs of execution. 

With SP1, generating ZK proofs becomes fast, cheap, and production-ready for leading chains like Base. Over 35 customers, including rollups, bridges, exchanges, and DA layers use SP1 for its:

  1. Performance. SP1 Hypercube is the first zkVM to deliver real-time proving for Ethereum, proving 99.7% of Ethereum mainnet blocks in under 12 seconds on 16 RTX 5090 GPUs.
  2. Security. SP1 Hypercube is the first zkVM with complete formal verification of all 62 core RISC-V opcodes, completed with Nethermind Security and the Ethereum Foundation.
  3. Trust. SP1 secures billions in TVL across the largest L2s and has generated millions of proofs on the Succinct Prover Network.

$10B Secured and Counting

Base joins Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, Mantle, Celo, and more in implementing SP1 to secure over $10 billion in digital assets across major rollup ecosystems.

The Ethereum rollup ecosystem is consolidating around ZK, with SP1 at the center.

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