Epicenter brings you in-depth conversations about the technical, economic and social implications of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. Every week, we interview business leaders, engineers academics and entrepreneurs, and bring you a diverse spectrum of opinions and points of view. Epicenter is hosted by Sebastien Couture, Brian Fabian Crain, Friederike Ernst, Meher Roy and Felix Lutsch. Since 2014, our episodes have been downloaded over 8 million times.
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episode 514: Misha Komarov: =nil; Foundation – The Marketplace for ZK Proof Generation
Zero knowledge proof systems have found tremendous cryptographic utility in scaling blockchains, due to their ability to prove computational integrity, succinctly. However, despite recent advancements in ZKP R&D, their construction still requires special prover circuits. Their complexity is what gatekeeps zero knowledge technology to a select few astute teams. =nil; Foundation aims to challenge this status quo by providing an alternative through their zkLLVM circuit compiler and zk proof marketplace. By commoditising the production of custom proofs, =nil; Foundation unlocks an entire new range of applications employing zero knowledge technology.
We were joined by Misha Komarov, co-founder of =nil; Foundation, to discuss the use cases and challenges of building the first marketplace for (outsourced) zero knowledge proofs.
Topics covered in this episode:
- The vision behind =nil; Foundation
- Use cases for zk tech
- zkLLVM circuit compiler
- Homomorphic encryption, ZKPs & privacy solutions
- ZKP marketplace
- Why proof markets (currently) run on DBMS
- Marketplace actors
- Proof generators vs. PoW miners
- Infrastructure challenges
- Future roadmap
Episode links:
- Mikhail Komarov on Twitter
- =nil; Foundation on Twitter
This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/514