RISC Zero zkVM: status and timeline

RISC Zero zkVM

A virtual machine that generates zero-knowledge proofs of Rust programs running on RISC-V. Developers write ordinary code; the VM produces a proof of correct execution without revealing inputs.

DeployStage 4 of 5

zkVM in use across applications; Boundless marketplace launched on Base mainnet September 2025.

Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

No announced next step

RISC Zero founded and pre-seed fundingMar 2022Complete.
Seed round closesAug 2022Complete.
Series A funding from Blockchain CapitalJul 2023Complete.
Boundless testnet launches on Base15 Jul 2025Complete.
Boundless mainnet on Base with TGE15 Sep 2025Complete.

Current obstacles

Proof latencyGenerating a ZK proof is computationally intensive and can take longer than running the original program.
Prover hardware specializationToday's provers run on CPUs; specialized ZK hardware (ASICs) are needed to make proofs economically viable at scale.

Physics limits

Proof size versus computationZero-knowledge proofs must include enough information to convince a verifier but cannot be too large or they defeat their purpose.
Prover computation costGenerating a proof requires repeating the computation multiple times for cryptographic verification, making it inherently more expensive than running the program once.

How it works

3 parts

RISC-V emulation

Run any compiled program

The zkVM emulates RISC-V, so any program compiled to RISC-V (Rust, C, C++) can execute inside and produce a proof.

Proof generation

Zero-knowledge output

The VM generates a cryptographic proof that the program ran correctly, without revealing the input data.

Continuations

Parallelization for large proofs

Large computations are split into segments via continuations, allowing proof generation to run in parallel on multiple machines.

Spec sheet

Spec	RISC Zero zkVM
Instruction set	RISC-V^R (reported)
Supported languages	Rust, C, C++^R (reported)
Total funding raised	$54M^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Papers & demos

1 item

2023paper
RISC Zero zkVM whitepaper (opens risczero.com)Details the architecture of the RISC-V virtual machine and continuations-based proof generation.

About RISC Zero

The team behind RISC Zero zkVM

RISC Zero

Zero-knowledge VM, Boundless, zkVM proofs

RISC Zero is a verifiable computing platform that generates zero-knowledge proofs of arbitrary Rust programs. The company builds the zkVM, a virtual machine that emulates RISC-V, and Boundless, a decentralized marketplace for zero-knowledge proofs.

RISC Zero's zkVM allows developers to write Rust programs and generate zero-knowledge proofs of execution without modifying code.
Boundless, launched as a testnet in July 2025, is a decentralized marketplace for zero-knowledge proofs that settles on any blockchain.
The platform raised $54M across pre-seed ($2M, March 2022), seed ($12M, August 2022) and Series A ($40M, July 2023) funding rounds.

risczero.com (opens risczero.com)Company profile →

Founded: 20215 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $54M3 rounds
Last round: Series A · $40MJul 2023
Works in: CryptoRollups & ZK proofs
Coverage: 2 programs · 3 updateslatest 15 Sep 2025checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: Blockchain CapitalBain Capital CryptoGeometry ResearchRamez Naam Ventures
Partners: Ethereum Foundation (opens ethereum.org)
Investors: Bain Capital Crypto (opens baincapital.com)Blockchain Capital (opens blockchain.com)
People: Jeremy Bruestle (opens linkedin.com)CEO & Co-founderFrank Laub (opens linkedin.com)CTO & Co-founderBrian Retford (opens linkedin.com)Co-founder

Spec

RISC Zero zkVM

Instruction set

RISC-V^R (reported)

Supported languages

Rust, C, C++^R (reported)

Total funding raised

$54M^R (reported)