ConsenSys has announced the upcoming release of its Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) suite on a public testnet on March 28., enabling stress testing of layer 2 scaling technology.
The ConsenSys R&D team has been working on their zkEVM package for the past four years. The zkEVM is promoted to offer fast finality, high performance and security of settlements on the Ethereum blockchain.
A private beta released in Q4 2022 provided early access to limited users, processing over 350,000 transactions and incorporating various decentralized applications (DApps). The testnet allowed Solidity developers to build, test, and launch DApps while testing zkEVM at scale.
Our zkEVM onboarding is in full swing and activity is at peak levels
We have successfully executed 300k transactions in total and we are processing more than 50,000 transactions per day
— ConsenSys (@ConsenSys) February 23, 2023
ConsenSys zkEVM is the culmination of the work of the Infura, Truffle and MetaMask teams, as well as the developers of Besu and Gnark. The integrations and features in the rollup were intended to remove developer complexity, improve security, and speed up on-boarding times.
An announcement shared with Cointelegraph highlighted zero switching costs as a benefit for projects in the ecosystem. Developers can build on zkEVM or migrate existing DApps without changing code or rewriting smart contracts. The zkEVM also uses Ether (ETH) for gas fees, eliminating the need for third-party code translation and other middleware solutions.
ConsenSys zkEVM integrates with MetaMask, which is intended to speed up user onboarding. The Infura integration also allows developers to ship DApps at scale. Developers will also be able to build, test, debug, and deploy Solidity smart contracts with a variety of Layer 2 development environments powered by Truffle.
ConsenSys also aims to keep its zkEVM open source after release. Nicolas Liochon, head of research and development at ConsenSys, told Cointelegraph that the goal of the public beta testnet is to test the system under the same conditions it would face on the mainnet, where the stakes are higher.
“Users and developers will be able to interact without permission with our technology stack, allowing us to test the system under adverse and challenging conditions.”
Following integration with the public testnet, ConsenSys will perform a system upgrade. This is intended to lay the foundation for a “high-performing, reliable, and decentralized network,” according to Liochon.
The final upgrade will also begin its auditing and security process to ensure zkEVM is safe and secure ahead of the planned mainnet release later in 2023.
ConsenSys is in discussions with major players in the Ethereum ecosystem to implement and integrate with their zkEVM testnet. Liochon highlighted the focus on making the EVM equivalent of stacking to scale as a key factor in making it easier for DApps and tools to switch to their zkEVM.
Liochon also said that efforts to make trustless and decentralized applications available to the public require simpler and cheaper systems. The zkEVM aims to achieve this by building a high-performance, decentralized, censorship-resistant, trustless execution layer that scales Ethereum.
Collaboration with the broader Layer 2 ecosystems is also a focus for ConsenSys. Liochon said the organization is looking to work with innovators in the space to convene the first zkEVM “multi-tester” rollup.
This type of scale rollup would have multiple test implementations that would generate valid calculation tests.
