ZK时代已近：探索创新项目推进零知识证明

零知识证明，简称 ZKP，是密码学的一个重要分支，在许多区块链应用中得到了广泛采用。

Blockchains are becoming increasingly popular as smart contracts gain wider adoption. However, in an environment where everyone uses blockchains, people will expect unwavering performance, privacy, and security — and only Zero Knowledge cryptography can help achieve all three.

随着智能合约得到更广泛的采用，区块链变得越来越受欢迎。然而，在每个人都使用区块链的环境中，人们会期望坚定不移的性能、隐私和安全性——只有零知识密码学才能帮助实现这三个目标。

ZKPs are an important branch of cryptography that’s been heavily adopted in many blockchain applications. They enable users to prove certain statements without revealing data, which can be useful both for scalability and privacy. An early example of their application is ZCash, a coin where zk-proofs are used to prove that a transaction is valid revealing the sender, the receiver, or the transaction amount — thus achieving full privacy.

ZKP 是密码学的一个重要分支，在许多区块链应用程序中得到了广泛采用。它们使用户能够在不泄露数据的情况下证明某些陈述，这对于可扩展性和隐私都很有用。他们应用程序的一个早期例子是 ZCash，这是一种使用 zk 证明来证明交易有效的硬币，揭示了发送者、接收者或交易金额，从而实现了完全的隐私。

As the on-chain landscape evolves, privacy and safety must keep pace to foster an open and trustworthy environment.

随着链上格局的发展，隐私和安全必须与时俱进，以培育开放和值得信赖的环境。

Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum, has emphasized the importance of advanced ZKP systems since 2016, including them as cornerstones of the Ethereum roadmap.

以太坊创始人 Vitalik Buterin 自 2016 年以来一直强调先进的 ZKP 系统的重要性，并将其作为以太坊路线图的基石。

In a recent post, Buterin presented a potentially more efficient algorithm for improving ZKPs and encouraged users and developers to explore and innovate further.

在最近的一篇文章中，Buterin 提出了一种可能更有效的算法来改进 ZKP，并鼓励用户和开发人员进一步探索和创新。

Zero Knowledge technology is a branch of fundamental science being spearheaded and funded primarily by crypto projects. Here, we will discuss several innovative projects that all contributed to the advancement of ZKPs.

零知识技术是基础科学的一个分支，主要由加密项目带头和资助。在这里，我们将讨论几个有助于 ZKP 进步的创新项目。

Space and Time’s Proof of SQL

SQL 的空间和时间证明

Transparency is crucial for reliably analyzing data and using it, but it’s also potentially costly and dangerous, depending on the volume and sensitivity of the data.

透明度对于可靠地分析和使用数据至关重要，但它也可能成本高昂且危险，具体取决于数据的数量和敏感性。

Space and Time, a startup backed by Microsoft VC and Samsung Next, is focused on developing one of the most efficient ZK-proofs specifically for data retrieval.

Space and Time 是一家由 Microsoft VC 和 Samsung Next 支持的初创公司，专注于开发专门用于数据检索的最高效的 ZK 证明之一。

It relies on a network of nodes to store and process data and, with its AI technology, it is able to provide very fast ZKP, relying on both on-chain and off-chain data. They’ve developed a system they call HTAP (Hybrid Transactional/Analytical Processing), which enables performing complex near real-time queries with data originating from a blockchain.

它依靠节点网络来存储和处理数据，并凭借其人工智能技术，能够依靠链上和链下数据提供非常快速的 ZKP。他们开发了一个称为 HTAP（混合事务/分析处理）的系统，该系统可以使用来自区块链的数据执行复杂的近实时查询。

However, Space and Time’s most significant innovation lies in their implementation of Proof of SQL, a novel use of zero-knowledge proofs. This approach allows users to cryptographically validate the accuracy of SQL data queries, giving cryptographic trust to the data being gathered.

然而，Space and Time 最重要的创新在于其 Proof of SQL 的实现，这是零知识证明的一种新颖用途。这种方法允许用户以加密方式验证 SQL 数据查询的准确性，从而为所收集的数据提供加密信任。

Such technology opens new frontiers to enhance both data processing and analysis, facilitating things like off-chain order books for DeFi protocols or reliable analytics and rankings for GameFi and NFTs — and in the future, probably many more applications in the real world.

此类技术开辟了增强数据处理和分析的新领域，促进诸如 DeFi 协议的链下订单簿或 GameFi 和 NFT 的可靠分析和排名之类的事情 - 未来可能会在现实世界中出现更多应用。

Polygon’s zkEVM

Polygon 的 zkEVM

Polygon is known as a quick and cheap network, but it will still eventually reach the limitations of a basic L1 blockchain.

Polygon 被认为是一种快速且廉价的网络，但它最终仍将达到基本 L1 区块链的局限性。

A multi-layer scaling approach helps balance large transaction loads, keeping transactions affordable for users. Polygon, for its own scalability path, has chosen to go all-in on ZK, acquiring multiple research and product teams working on advancing Zero Knowledge.

多层扩展方法有助于平衡大量交易负载，使用户能够负担得起交易。 Polygon 为了实现自己的可扩展性，选择全力投入 ZK，收购了多个致力于推进零知识的研究和产品团队。

The Polygon zkEVM, launched in March 2023, was the first EVM-compatible Layer-2 using the zk-rollup technology to save on costs and improve performance.

Polygon zkEVM 于 2023 年 3 月推出，是首款使用 zk-rollup 技术来节省成本并提高性能的 EVM 兼容第 2 层。

The zk-rollup improves the scalability of the network by leveraging cryptographic techniques enabled by ZKPs to quickly verify the validity of data published to the chain. By compressing transaction data and verifying it with zk-proofs, the zkEVM is able to reduce gas fees by over 90%.

zk-rollup 通过利用 ZKP 启用的加密技术来快速验证发布到链上的数据的有效性，从而提高了网络的可扩展性。通过压缩交易数据并使用 zk-proofs 进行验证，zkEVM 能够减少 90% 以上的 Gas 费用。

Aztec’s Blockchain Privacy

阿兹特克人的区块链隐私

Aztec is one of the better known blockchain privacy pioneers, having worked on advancing ZK technology for over 6 years now.

Aztec 是最著名的区块链隐私先驱之一，致力于推进 ZK 技术已有 6 年多的时间。

They’ve made significant contributions to the broader ZKP space over the years, for example by implementing PLONK, a proving system for ZKPs that was more powerful and decentralized than anything that came earlier (and yet has itself been superseded by now).

多年来，他们为更广泛的 ZKP 领域做出了重大贡献，例如通过实施 PLONK，这是一种 ZKP 证明系统，比之前的任何系统都更强大、更去中心化（但现在已被取代）。

Aztec is working on both a scalable and a private L2, using ZKPs in full strength. It has previously implemented zk.money, a privacy layer for asset transfers that used a proprietary UTXO system.

Aztec 正在全力开发可扩展的私有 L2，充分利用 ZKP。它之前已经实现了 zk.money，这是一个使用专有 UTXO 系统进行资产转移的隐私层。

The vision behind the project is to offer a fully private rollup, allowing people to store data and transactions privately on an encrypted blockchain. One of the more interesting and complex challenges faced by Aztec is the creation of Noir, a private smart contract language that would be compatible with circuits, or the basic building block of data that can be verified with ZKPs.

该项目背后的愿景是提供完全私密的汇总，允许人们在加密的区块链上私密地存储数据和交易。 Aztec 面临的更有趣和更复杂的挑战之一是创建 Noir，这是一种与电路兼容的私有智能合约语言，或者是可以用 ZKP 验证的数据的基本构建块。

The project is set to soon launch a testnet of its private L2, finally giving a users a taste of its 6+ years of research and development.

该项目即将推出其私有 L2 的测试网，最终让用户体验到其 6 年多的研发成果。

zkSync’s Ethereum Scaling

zkSync 的以太坊扩容

ZkSync by Matter Labs is another “old” project that has pushed ZKP development forward. It focuses specifically on offering more affordable and quick transactions in the Ethereum ecosystem, such as with their flagship product zkSync Era.

Matter Labs 的 ZkSync 是另一个推动 ZKP 开发向前发展的“老”项目。它特别专注于在以太坊生态系统中提供更实惠、更快速的交易，例如其旗舰产品 zkSync Era。

zkSync Era is a zk-rollup that combines multiple transactions into a single proof processed off-chain, substantially increasing Ethereum’s transaction throughput.

zkSync Era 是一个 zk-rollup，它将多个交易合并为一个链下处理的证明，大大提高了以太坊的交易吞吐量。

Era was designed to

时代的设计目的是