Here we report on the progress of the leading builders in the zkVM ecosystem, documenting recent significant releases, technical breakthroughs and general updates.
Featuring: @brevis_zk, @DelphinusLab, Jolt (@a16zcrypto), @ligero_inc, @0xMiden, @NexusLabs, @RiscZero/@boundless_xyz, @SuccinctLabs, @ziskvm, & @ProjectZKM.
ProverNet Whitepaper
@brevis_zk released its ProverNet whitepaper outlining a decentralized marketplace where applications request ZK proving capacity and specialized provers compete to supply it: https://blog.brevis.network/2025/11/17/brevis-provernet-the-open-marketplace-for-zero-knowledge-proofs/
The system uses a truthful online double-auction mechanism to match heterogeneous workloads with suitable resources while enforcing service quality through economic incentives.
ProverNet introduces the BREV token for payments, staking, and governance, and a beta mainnet with a simplified auction is scheduled to launch soon.
Media
In a recent episode of @HouseofZK Radio, @no89thkey, Co-founder of Brevis covered how the team moved from its DeFi origins to building verifiable compute and near real-time proving: https://x.com/HouseofZK/status/1993675089162699254
He talked about the Pico zkVM, the Pico Prism distributed prover used for @Ethereum block proving, and how Brevis’ modular coprocessor architecture supports on-chain loyalty, streamlined rewards, and CEX/DEX bridge integrations.
Full podcast: https://hozk.io/radio#91-michael-co-founder-of-brevis
Events
Brevis hosted and joined several key sessions during @EFDevcon, bringing practical perspectives on verifiable computation and the shift toward off-chain, proof-based execution models:
• Brevis held ZKONNECT, with House of ZK as co-host, focusing on how zkVMs, ZK coprocessors, zkML and zkTLS are moving from concepts to production.
The program highlighted practical deployments of verifiable compute, cross-chain data access, and AI inference, along with several keynotes and discussions outlining how teams are applying ZK infrastructure to real applications.
• Michael, delivered a keynote at Verifying Intelligence 3.0, organized by House of ZK and co-hosted by Brevis: https://x.com/HouseofZK/status/1994065421335437819
He outlined why most blockchain computation will migrate off-chain and be verified through ZKPs, presenting Brevis as the infinite compute layer that executes heavy logic off-chain and returns succinct, verifiable outputs.
The talk covered the Pico zkVM, real-time Ethereum proving, Brevis’s modular architecture, and current integrations powering intelligent DeFi, privacy-preserving attestations, and continuous incentive systems.
Partnerships
Lastly, Brevis and @vana presented a joint model for using private data in AI by combining authenticated inputs with local computation that reveals no raw information: https://blog.brevis.network/2025/11/04/brevis-x-vana-enabling-private-data-sovereignty-with-zk-powered-trust/
Brevis zkTLS proves data origin, while Pico zkVM processes it on the user’s device. Vana manages consent and rewards, giving developers verified metrics and allowing users to retain full control over their data.
@DelphinusLab shared an article highlighting how ZKWASM is now running in production and powering applications across gaming, energy, and governance: https://x.com/DelphinusLab/status/1987416001554878542
Automata S3 uses verifiable execution so every in-game action is proven, not trusted. Solar Mine links renewable-energy output to on-chain proofs.
zkFair applies ZKWASM to governance by verifying eligibility, uniqueness, and aggregated votes inside a zero-knowledge runtime, showing how developers can build verifiable apps with familiar languages.
Ethproofs Call
@SuccinctJT, Researcher at @a16zcrypto, presented at the recent @eth_proofs call. He highlighted how current zkVMs control prover memory by splitting traces into chunks and recursively aggregating proofs, but that this adds complexity, bug risk, and performance costs.
Timestamp - 32:30: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9zw5jOMB9UY&list=PLJqWcTqh_zKGthi2bQDVOcNWXCSvH1sgB&index=6
Justin went on to explain how Jolt aims to replace this with a streaming approach that caps prover memory near a few gigabytes, regardless of cycle count.
Two of roughly twenty required Sumcheck components are already streaming, with the remaining work expected to finish soon.
Research
Justin also published a paper based on the results of a survey focusing on how modern SNARK design achieves fast proving by centering on the sum-check protocol: https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/2041
The paper outlines why techniques such as batch evaluation, lookup arguments, virtual polynomials, and small-value preservation reduce prover work and commitment costs.
Using Jolt as a main case study, it shows how exploiting repeated computational structure enables efficient zkVMs and guides future performance improvements.
Testnet v0.12
@0xMiden released its Testnet v0.12, introducing major updates across privacy flows, key management, address handling, and developer tooling: https://miden.xyz/resource/blog/testnet-november-2025
The version adds a new address format with encryption support, a private note-transport layer with @Nethermind, ECDSA signing via precompiles, and improvements to data handling in the node.
It also includes basic guardrails for transaction-data visibility, the new midenup installer for streamlined onboarding, a dedicated devnet for experimentation, and multiple VM-level enhancements for composability and debugging.
Publications
The project published an article explaining how private multisigs become feasible through a new system called Private State Management, co-developed with @OpenZeppelin: https://miden.xyz/resource/blog/private-multisig
The piece outlines why traditional multisigs rely on shared public state, how Miden’s privacy model complicates coordination, and how PSM’s synchronization, coordination, and authentication layers keep private accounts aligned. It concludes with examples of practical use cases and notes that an early Proof-of-Concept is already available.
Events
At @EFDevcon, Miden hosted and took part in several events, including:
• The Privacy Salon, an event organized by Miden that gathered builders, researchers, and founders for short, idea-driven talks and open discussions on privacy, decentralized systems, and the evolving intersections of crypto, web3, and traditional finance.
• Verifying Intelligence 3.0, organized by @HouseofZK, where @huitseeker, Engineering Lead at Miden, spoke about the role of zkVMs in zkML, explaining the differences between proving inference and training, the limitations of TEEs, and how Miden’s design supports practical, adversarial-resistant AI verification scenarios.
Timestamp - 02:50:12: https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1dRKZanqOygx
Integrations
The project introduced two new partnerships that expand its ecosystem across privacy, onboarding, and infrastructure, including:
• @get_para: Integrated Para’s embedded wallet and distributed MPC authentication to enable seamless, non-custodial onboarding for Miden applications. The collaboration introduced passwordless login, instant wallet creation, and frictionless user flows, aligning Para’s UX stack with Miden’s compliant privacy model to support private DeFi, fintech, gaming, and institutional applications built on ZK execution: https://miden.xyz/resource/blog/miden-x-para
• @gateway_eth: Partnered with http://Gateway.fm to provide enterprise-grade infrastructure for Miden’s scalable, privacy-focused blockchain network. The partnership ensures high availability, fast data access, and operational reliability as Miden scales, with Gateway running core components such as the native bridge, provers, and block explorer to support the rollout of Miden’s edge-execution architecture: https://thedefiant.io/news/press-releases/miden-partners-with-gateway-fm-to-build-scalable-privacy-focused-blockchain-network
DEX Alpha
@NexusLabs launched the Alpha version of its decentralized perpetual futures exchange as part of its Testnet III, offering a simplified, non-custodial CLOB platform built on verifiable infrastructure: https://blog.nexus.xyz/introducing-the-nexus-dex-alpha/
The release focuses on core trading functions, streamlined onboarding, and test funds instead of real assets. Although the interface is minimal, the underlying orderbook is engineered for low-latency performance and will expand with community-driven feedback and progressively introduced cryptographic proofs.
Network Status
Nexus released its November network report:
Highlights include:
• The network processed 87.198 million transactions, with 87.038 million completed, showing high reliability and a very small gap between initiated and finalized activity.
• Proof throughput adjusted from 5,810 to 4.16 proofs per second over the month, reflecting a return to a more stable proving baseline after October’s rapid spike.
• Verified contracts reached 2.548 million, demonstrating continued developer trust in the proving environment despite higher latency and moderated throughput.
• Transaction fees averaged 0.048 NEX, keeping the cost of verifiability low and leaving room for rapid iteration and frequent onchain interactions.
Events
Nexus Chief Scientist @JensGroth16 joined a fireside chat at @HouseofZK’s Verifying Intelligence event during @EFDevcon, discussing how ZKPs evolved from early theoretical work to today’s applications in verifiable AI: https://blog.nexus.xyz/verifying-intelligence-with-jens-groth/
He outlined Nexus’s focus on combining provable correctness with economic security and emphasized the need for standards, education, and broader institutional trust to ensure verifiable systems become usable and widely adopted.
Ethproofs Call
In the recent @eth_proofs Call #6, @BruestleJeremy, CEO and Co-founder of @RiscZero, shared how the team successfully booted a real Linux kernel inside the zkVM after adding Risc-V S-mode support, full MMU, and virtualized memory.
Timestamp - 20:30: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9zw5jOMB9UY&list=PLJqWcTqh_zKGthi2bQDVOcNWXCSvH1sgB&index=6
The demo showed multiple processes running and a near-deterministic environment suitable for broader software stacks. Risс Zero plans to ship this in the next circuit release as progress on the prover continues.
Events
@boundless_xyz took part in several events during Devconnect in Buenos Aires, including:
• A Whitepaper Reading Session organized by @HouseofZK in partnership with @WPReadingClub and @invisiblgarden, where Boundless, @citrea_xyz, @MinaProtocol, and @o1_labs participated in roundtable discussions on recent research developments and emerging ideas across the Web3 and ZK ecosystem.
• A Verifying Intelligence 3.0 panel, where @reka_eth, Director of Marketing at Boundless, contributed to a discussion on proving human contribution in an era shaped by AI and robotics, alongside speakers @humpty0x of @OntologyNetwork, @zKsisyfos of @StarkWareLtd, @DacEconomy of @ProjectZKM, and @Viggy_117 of @eigencloud. Timestamp - 00:57:54: https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1dRKZanqOygxB
SP1 Hypercube
@SuccinctLabs reported that the latest version of its SP1 Hypercube zkVM can prove 99.7% of @ethereum L1 blocks in under 12 seconds on 16 RTX 5090 GPUs, extending its earlier real-time proving milestone: https://blog.succinct.xyz/real-time-proving-16-gpus/
The release adds major performance improvements, formal verification of all RISC-V constraints, removal of proximity gap conjecture dependencies, and new security measures.
Hypercube is completing audits and will be released open source and through the Succinct Prover Network.
Research
In a recent study by @ronrothblum, Head of Cryptography at Succinct, @benediktbuenz (@EspressoSys), @GiacomoFenzi (@EPFL), and @kleptographic (@NYU_Courant), the authors present TensorSwitch, a nearly optimal hash-based polynomial commitment scheme: https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/2065
It addresses two main limitations in hash-based SNARGs: prover time and large proof sizes. Using tensor codes and interactive oracle proofs, TensorSwitch achieves commitment and opening times linear in input size, sublinear hashing costs, and asymptotically minimal verifier queries, without relying on trusted setup or group-based cryptography
C2PA
Succinct has joined @C2PA_org, working alongside other participants developing open standards for digital content verification: https://blog.succinct.xyz/succinct-joins-c2pa-to-advance-content-authenticity-standards/
As AI-generated media increases, the project introduces ZK verification to strengthen provenance workflows with privacy and scalable attestations.
Succinct aims to support unified metadata standards and improve interoperability across platforms. By joining C2PA, the project plans to contribute research and assist in deploying content authenticity tools in practical settings.
OP Succinct Lite
@Celo upgraded its Sepolia testnet to OP Succinct Lite through the Jello hardfork, moving closer to mainnet launch: https://x.com/SuccinctLabs/status/1986123286078759392
Earlier this year, Celo shifted to an Ethereum L2 to support real-world payments and became the first chain to adopt OP Succinct Lite with EigenDA v2.
Version Update
@ziskvm released v0.14.0, introducing notable performance upgrades and stability improvements across its proving system: https://x.com/ziskvm/status/1991331047078867256
The update includes:
• Fixed soundness issues in the Binary SM and applied major performance optimizations
• Optimized NTT implementation with a simplified, no–bit-reversal design
• Improved error handling and several stability refinements across components
• Enhancements to GPU orchestration for more efficient execution
• Multiple upgrades to the distributed prover, including better coordination options and clearer job summaries.
Realtime Proving
@jbaylina, Co-founder of ZisK and @0xPolygon, reported that ZisK’s zkVM achieved realtime proving on a setup of 24 RTX 5090 GPUs: https://x.com/jbaylina/status/1992215652422300123
The team recorded an average of 6.56 seconds per proof, with 99.74% completing in under 12 seconds. The system also showed a 9.7-second average time-to-proof, and 86.36% of results stayed below 12 seconds.
Events
Finally, the ZisK team took part in several events during @EFDevcon, contributing both technical insights and updates on real-time proving progress:
• ZisK hosted its Real-Time Proofs in Motion event, where the team presented the system’s architecture, distributed proving model, and ongoing performance work.
Sessions covered prover optimization, zkEVM target standardization, findings from the recent @OpenZeppelin review, and a technical panel on zkVM latency and cost with contributors from @ethereum, @brevis_zk, @zksync, @boundless_xyz, @axiom_xyz, @TheCostaGroup and @SuccinctLabs: https://x.com/ziskvm/status/1989291789514100890
• Jordi Baylina have a keynote at Verifying Intelligence 3.0, organized by @HouseofZK, outlining ZisK’s ability to generate real-time proofs of @ethereum blocks using sixteen GPUs and explaining how ZK systems can handle floating-point operations through lookup tables.
Timestamp - 03:54:28: https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1dRKZanqOygxB
Audit
ZKM's Ziren is undergoing an audit by @VeridiseInc, using its Picus verification platform: https://zkm.io/blog/verifying-determinism-in-zirens-arithmetic-core
Veridise adapted Ziren’s Plonky3 constraints and ran analyses through @AuditHubDev. Initial results confirmed deterministic behavior for addition and subtraction in the AddSub chip.
The teams plan to expand verification to full circuits and integrate checks into ZKM’s development workflow.
Publications
@ProjectZKM published an article explaining how the GKR protocol verifies arithmetic circuit computations by recursively checking consistency across circuit layers using the multivariate Sumcheck protocol: https://zkm.io/blog/multivariate-sumcheck-protocol-part-4
The piece explains layered circuit structure, the role of multilinear extensions, how Sumcheck reduces verification to point evaluations, and how recursion ends at the input layer. It shows why GKR is efficient for large circuits and foundational in modern ZK systems.
Events
ZKM released an article about their time at @EFDevcon, with highlights being:
• ZKONNECT by @brevis_zk and House of ZK: ZKM CTO @sd_eigen joined the real time proving panel EVM Proved in 10 Seconds discussing GPU accelerated proof systems.
• Verifying Intelligence by House of ZK and Brevis: Stephen spoke on ZK based privacy in AI workflows and reviewed Ziren’s audit with @VeridiseInc. Co-founder @DacEconomy joined the AI and Work panel on verifying human contributions.
• @EtherArgentina Hackathon: ZKM sponsored the event with Stephen as judge and Education Lead @alicelingl mentoring teams.
• Native BTCFi Summit by @babylonlabs_io and @build_on_bob: discussions on @Bitcoin aligned finance and BTC scaling.
• StarkConnect by @Starknet: Stephen participated in a session on scaling Bitcoin with Starknet, @AlpenLabs and @atomiqlabs.
• ZK Real World Summit: panel on privacy preserving chains with @MantaNetwork, @ZKVProtocol and @nillion.
• Cultural Vivo by @invisiblgarden: ZKM returned as sponsor supporting the hub for ZK and AI builders.
.jpeg)
