Ethereum

Satoshi

Bitcoin

StarkWare has announced ambitious plans to bring mass use to Bitcoin using zero-knowledge (ZK) technology backed by a $1 million research fund.
The initiative seeks to scale Bitcoin and Ethereum simultaneously using ZK technology — specifically, Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge (STARK) cryptography.
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “We aren’t Ethereum maxis; we are scaling maxis.”
</blockquote>
StarkWare’s announcement aims to further Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision by enabling everyday micropayments and creating a scalable solution to support global Bitcoin (<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/bitcoin-price" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">BTC</a>) transactions.<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mHTuzznnt9Q" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen data-ct-non-breakable="true"></iframe>
<figcaption style="text-align: center;">Eli Ben-Sasson discussing the vision behind Bitcoin, the StarkWare research fund announcement and creating a globally inclusive economy. Source: StarkWare
</figcaption>
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/zero-knowledge-proofs-eu-digital-id-wallet-regulation" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Are ZK-proofs the key to Europe’s new digital ID regulations?</a>
<h2 data-ct-non-breakable="true" id="bringing-zk-tech-to-bitcoin">Bringing ZK tech to Bitcoin</h2>
StarkWare CEO and cheat-proof ZK cryptography co-inventor Eli Ben-Sasson explained that “Bitcoin today is mighty, but still a fraction of what it can be” in a press release shared with Cointelegraph.
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “Crypto can clean up the digital world and finance. It can deliver integrity to money and rebalance power in our society, taking it away from Big Tech and restoring it to sovereign individuals [...] therefore, we need a vision that showcases this. No such vision is complete without scaling the chain that started this great project.”
</blockquote>
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/matter-labs-drops-zk-trademark-applications" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Matter Labs drops ZK trademark applications after industry backlash</a>
<h2 data-ct-non-breakable="true" id="starkware-ceo-qas">StarkWare CEO Q&amp;As</h2>
Speaking to Cointelegraph, Ben-Sasson spoke about the impact of deploying STARK scaling on Bitcoin:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “It’s about mass scale, period. Those enthusiastic about Bitcoin already know that the BTC vision is so great that it needs to spread, and the chain should be in mass use [...] It’s about enabling Bitcoin, with all its values intact and loyal to Satoshi’s vision.”
</blockquote>
The Bitcoin community is currently weighing up a technical proposal known as OP_CAT. If approved, it would open the door to potential STARK scaling on the BTC blockchain.
Ben-Sasson said that StarkWare supports OP_CAT because the team considers the OP_CAT Bitcoin soft fork “the safest path for Bitcoin to scale.”
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/starkware-zk-threads-prevent-fund-lockups-enhance-dapps" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">StarkWare ZKThreads solution could prevent fund lockups similar to FTX</a>
<h2 data-ct-non-breakable="true" id="the-op_cat-s-out-of-the-bag">The OP_CAT’s out of the bag</h2>
Speaking with Cointelegraph speculatively about the OP_CAT proposal, Ben-Sasson said:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “[If it isn’t approved], there are some solutions we’re exploring to deliver STARK scale without OP_CAT; I don’t want to say much about them now, but they could provide the basis of a workaround.”
</blockquote>
When asking Ben-Sasson how quickly the tech could be rolled out for testing and mainstream use in the case of OP_CAT approval, he told Cointelegraph:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “Within six months of approval, quite possibly even quicker. Background — StarkWare got the very first L2, StarkEx, on Ethereum, and back then, it had sounded like science fiction.”
</blockquote>
This latest announcement by StarkWare follows the firm’s recent introduction of <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/starkware-zk-threads-prevent-fund-lockups-enhance-dapps" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the new scaling framework, dubbed ZKThreads</a>.
According to Louis Guthmann, head of product/market strategy at StarkWare, the framework can prevent trapped funds and improve the scalability of decentralized applications. This could rule out a recurrence of the FTX-Alameda collapse.
Magazine:&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/ether-etf-launch-expected-june-cz-leaves-binance-france-hodlers-digest-may-26-june-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Ether ETFs expected in June, CZ leaves Binance France, and other news: Hodler’s Digest, May 26 – June 1</a>

StarkWare launches $1M research fund for ZK Bitcoin scaling

Table of Contents

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Jun 4, 2024

From Navigating to Mastering Scopuly: Tips and Tricks for All Users

MiCA Regulations: Tether CEO Criticizes Bank Deposit Requirement for Stablecoins

DOG closes in on $0.01 as hype builds around new Solana memecoin

5 Best Altcoins to Invest in Now May 18 – GameStop, Immutable X, Akash Network, Injective

Major Milestone: Hong Kong Regulator Approves 11 Crypto Exchanges To Operate In The City

How often does the SEC lose crypto lawsuits?

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!