Polygon tests ZK rollups ahead of mainnet integration

Today, Polygon, an ethereum (ETH) sidechain, said they were in the final stage of testing its Zero-Knowledge (ZK) rollups. This is as they gauged the functionality of the zero-knowledge Ethereum virtual machine (zkEVM) ahead of mainnet integration. ZK rollups is a layer-2, privacy-oriented scaling solution.

Zero Knowledge rollups on its final steps

The Polygon Hermez team has been working to improve the zkEVM for over three years. David Schwartz, the project lead of Polygon zkEVM and PolygonID, said they have successfully demonstrated that ZK proofs are practical on Ethereum. It is after they initiated over 12,000 marginal proofs in a popular model of the zkEVM network system.

Polygon zkEVM contains the first full source code version of the EVM-equivalent, zkProver. This version can pass all Ethereum scalar tests with a score of over 99%. Because the Polygon Hermez team was the first to create the native zkEVM, he described the accomplishment of authenticity proofs for traditional user transactions as the “most complex and satisfying effort”.

David added that layer-2 solutions have proven critical in boosting ethereum’s scalability. His assessment factors in the gradual improvement in functionality and evolution over time.

Rollups resolve the scaling problem faced by some public blockchains, especially Ethereum. By bundling transactions off-chain, block processing is faster, cheaper, and more secure. ZK rollups utilize bundle-up transfers and proofs for processing. These proofs are bite-sized bits of encrypted information that attest to the truth and integrity of the contract.

Polygon zkEVM Progress

In October 2022, Polygon launched the zkEVM, arguing that it hoped to become the leading network to provide scalability using its innovation on ethereum. Polygon earlier predicted the launch and mainnet integration of zkEVM to be in Q1 2023. 

Mihailo Bjelic, the co-founder of Polygon, states that vast entities and individuals believed it would have taken time to release the zkEVM on the mainnet.