NEAR and Polygon partner to innovate on zero-knowledge proofs

NEAR Foundation partners with Polygon Labs to develop zkWASM, a cutting-edge zero-knowledge solution enhancing interoperability and security for WASM chains.

The NEAR Foundation, renowned for its contribution to the NEAR protocol’s ecosystem, and Polygon Labs, have announced a pioneering venture to create zkWASM—a zero-knowledge proof technology tailored for WASM-based blockchains. This collaborative effort was unveiled at NEARCON, the annual flagship event for the NEAR community, taking place in Lisbon.

This strategic partnership promises to merge NEAR’s proficiency in WASM runtime with Polygon’s mastery of zero-knowledge scaling technologies. The initiative is designed to bridge NEAR Protocol with Ethereum, granting WASM chains access to Ethereum’s expansive liquidity. It also lays the groundwork for an interoperability layer currently in the works, enabling a shared liquidity pool across various blockchain landscapes, including alternative layer-1s and EVM layer-2s.

Polygon’s Co-founder, Sandeep Nailwal, highlighted the customization the zkWASM prover will offer to developers, enhancing the flexibility and choices available when establishing or transitioning EVM or WASM chains.

Boosting scalability and security

The zkWASM prover stands to significantly reduce the complexity of the validation process for NEAR validators. By generating a singular zero-knowledge proof, validators can bypass the intensive task of shard validation, thereby bolstering scalability and promoting a more decentralized NEAR Protocol.

NEAR Protocol co-founder Illia Polosukhin expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, emphasizing the wide-ranging benefits zero-knowledge proofs will bring to web3. He envisages this joint effort with Polygon Labs will not only enhance NEAR’s capabilities but also contribute substantially to the expansion of the zero-knowledge proof landscape.