# L1 zkEVM (proof-checked blocks) by Ethereum Foundation Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/crypto/l1-zkevm Frontier: [Crypto](https://technooptimist.io/crypto.md) · Field: Zero-knowledge provers · Company: [Ethereum Foundation](https://technooptimist.io/companies/ethereum-foundation.md) Stage: Proto (2 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2026-05-14, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: Let any validator confirm an Ethereum block by checking a small proof on modest hardware, so the network can carry far more transactions without forcing every node to re-execute them on bigger machines. Status: Real-time proving reached in Dec 2025; optional proofs (EIP-8025) proposed for the Hegotá fork. Next milestone: Multi-client proof devnets (Lighthouse, Prysm), target 2026 ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | Real-time proving target defined (P99 of blocks in 10 s) | 10 Jul 2025 | | | Done | zkVMs prove 99% of mainnet blocks in under 10 s | 18 Dec 2025 | | | Done | 2026 L1-zkEVM roadmap published | 26 Jan 2026 | | | Done | EIP-8025 (optional execution proofs) proposed for Hegotá | 14 May 2026 | | | Current | Multi-client proof devnets (Lighthouse, Prysm) | 2026 | | | Planned | 128-bit provable security, proofs ≤300 KiB | Dec 2026 | | | Planned | Optional proofs on mainnet (Hegotá, after Glamsterdam) | | | | Planned | Proof verification mandatory for validators | | | ## Upcoming events - **2026**: Multi-client proof devnets (Lighthouse, Prysm) - **Dec 2026**: 128-bit provable security, proofs ≤300 KiB ## Most important updates - **14 May 2026**: EIP-8025 'optional execution proofs' put forward for Hegotá, the Ethereum fork after Glamsterdam. The EIP adds two opt-in node roles: provers that make and gossip a proof for each block, and zkAttesters that verify those proofs. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/eip-8025-optional-execution-proofs-put-forward-for-hegota-the-ethereum-68334472.md) · [original source](https://zkevm.ethereum.foundation/blog/eip-8025-optional-execution-proofs-hegota)) - **26 Jan 2026**: EF zkEVM team publishes its 2026 roadmap for putting zkEVM proofs into Ethereum's validator workflow. The roadmap describes the full pipeline: execution client produces a witness, a standard guest program validates the block inside a zkVM, a prover makes the proof and the consensus client verifies it. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/ef-zkevm-team-publishes-its-2026-roadmap-for-putting-zkevm-proofs-into-0fa4313e.md) · [original source](https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/l1-zkevm-roadmap-2026-integrating-zkevm-proofs-into-ethereums-core-protocol/27595)) - **18 Dec 2025**: EF says zkEVMs hit real-time proving and turns to security: 128-bit provable security targeted by end of 2026. Citing the Ethproofs 2025 review, the EF said proving latency fell from 16 minutes to 16 seconds in a year and costs fell 45-fold, with zkVMs now proving 99% of blocks in under 10 seconds on target hardware. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/ef-says-zkevms-hit-real-time-proving-and-turns-to-security-128-bit-2963e4bd.md) · [original source](https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/12/18/zkevm-security-foundations)) - **10 Jul 2025**: Ethereum Foundation sets a 'real-time proving' bar for zkEVMs: 99% of blocks in 10 s on a $100k, 10 kW rig. The EF's Sophia Gold laid out how Ethereum would start checking blocks with zero-knowledge proofs. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/ethereum-foundation-sets-a-real-time-proving-bar-for-zkevms-99-of-6c69fc88.md) · [original source](https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/07/10/realtime-proving)) ## Current obstacles - **Proof systems are not yet proven secure enough**: Many zkVMs rest on unproven maths. The EF set 100-bit (mid-2026) and 128-bit (end-2026) provable-security bars before relying on them. - **Worst-case blocks**: Average blocks prove in single-digit seconds, but an attacker can craft a block that takes minutes to prove; gas prices must be retuned to stop this. - **No pay for provers yet**: In the optional phase proving is altruistic: nobody is paid to make proofs, and late proofs only cost the attester timeliness rewards. ## Physics limits - **Proving costs far more than running**: Making a proof that a computation ran correctly takes orders of magnitude more work than running it once, so someone must still own racks of GPUs. - **Security versus proof size**: Higher security margins generally mean bigger proofs, and every proof has to cross a global peer-to-peer network within seconds. - **A proof only covers what the circuit says**: A proof shows the zkVM followed its own code. If that code differs from Ethereum's rules, a wrong block can carry a valid proof, hence several independent zkVMs. ## How it works ### Witness: Package what a block touches An execution client outputs the block plus a 'witness': exactly the account and storage data its transactions read, so it can be checked without the full state. ### Guest program: Run Ethereum's rules inside a zkVM A standard program re-executes the block inside a zero-knowledge virtual machine, which records a trace of every step it took. ### Prove: GPU provers compress the work Provers turn that trace into a proof of a few hundred kilobytes and gossip it to other nodes over Ethereum's peer-to-peer network. ### Verify: Check the proof, not the block A 'zkAttester' checks proofs from several zkVMs. Checking takes about the same time for a 60M-gas block as for a 600M-gas one. ## Spec sheet | Spec | L1 zkEVM (proof-checked blocks) | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | Proving time target | ≤10 s for 99% of blocks | reported | | Prover hardware cost target | ≤$100k on-premises | reported | | Prover power target | ≤10 kW | reported | | Proof size target (end 2026) | ≤300 KiB, no trusted setup | reported | | Security target (end 2026) | 128-bit provable security | reported | | Proving time, 2025 | 16 min → 16 s | reported | | Proving cost drop, 2025 | 45× | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## About Ethereum Foundation Swiss non-profit that funds research and coordinates upgrades to Ethereum, the largest blockchain for smart contracts. It doesn't control the network: independent software teams ship each upgrade. Its plan is to scale through rollups while keeping it cheap to run a validator at home. - The Merge (15 Sept 2022) switched Ethereum to proof of stake, cutting energy use by ~99.9%. - Fusaka (Dec 2025) lets nodes check rollup data by sampling pieces instead of downloading it all. - Glamsterdam, the next upgrade, is on test networks, with mainnet targeted for late 2026. - Founded: 2014 - Headquarters: CH - Status: private - Website: https://ethereum.foundation - People: Vitalik Buterin (Co-founder of Ethereum); Aya Miyaguchi (President); Hsiao-Wei Wang (Co-Executive Director) - Partners, customers, investors: Coinbase (Base) (partner); Eigen Labs (partner); StarkWare (partner) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/ethereum-foundation.md ## Related programs More from Ethereum Foundation: - [Ethereum protocol upgrades](https://technooptimist.io/crypto/ethereum-protocol.md) (Scaling) - [Lean Ethereum](https://technooptimist.io/crypto/lean-ethereum.md) (Research) Everything in Crypto: https://technooptimist.io/crypto.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). 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