# EF says zkEVMs hit real-time proving and turns to security: 128-bit provable security targeted by end of 2026

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/ef-says-zkevms-hit-real-time-proving-and-turns-to-security-128-bit-2963e4bd
Date: 18 Dec 2025
About: [Ethereum Foundation](https://technooptimist.io/companies/ethereum-foundation.md) · [L1 zkEVM (proof-checked blocks)](https://technooptimist.io/crypto/l1-zkevm.md)
Original source: https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/12/18/zkevm-security-foundations

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. It named security the main open issue and set three deadlines for zkVM teams.

## Key facts

- End Feb 2026: all teams plug their proof systems into 'soundcalc', a shared security estimator.
- End May 2026 (Glamsterdam): 100-bit provable security, proofs ≤600 KiB.
- End 2026: 128-bit provable security, proofs ≤300 KiB, and a formal soundness argument for recursion.
- Higher security usually means larger proofs, which must still spread across the P2P network quickly.

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