CoinWorld reports:
Author: YBB Capital Researcher Ac-Core
TLDR
The main function of OP Succinct is to integrate ZKP into the modular architecture of the OP Stack, converting OP Stack Rollups into fully verified ZK Rollups.
If the future scalability solution for Ethereum is to convert all Rollups into ZK Rollups, then OP Succinct aims to deploy Type-1 zkEVM (fully equivalent to Ethereum) in the OP Stack using Rust and SP1.
OP Succinct Proposer implements parallel proof generation, as well as proof aggregation and verification.
The existing OP Stack system relies on a “7-day fraud prevention window” that can cause transaction delays in case of disputes. OP Succinct shortens the transaction completion time by using ZK proofs, eliminating the need for an extended fraud prevention window.
OP Succinct can significantly reduce transaction costs.
1. Recent Review: OP Mainnet Updates and the Relationship Between OP Stack and OP Labs
Image Source: Blockscout
1.1 Key Progress of the OP Mainnet
On March 30, 2024, OP Labs announced the release of “fraud proofs” on the OP Sepolia testnet, which officially launched on the OP mainnet on June 11, 2024. This marked the first step towards decentralization, allowing users to withdraw ETH and ERC-20 tokens from the OP mainnet without the need for trusted third parties. This mechanism enables users to challenge and revoke invalid withdrawals (including Base, Metal, Mode, and Zora).
To ensure the security and trust of user assets, Optimism uses fraud proofs to verify the accuracy and validity of on-chain transactions and prevent malicious behavior. Key principles include:
Data availability: Fraud proofs ensure that all data on Layer 2 is accessible and verifiable by Layer 1.
Challenge period: Anyone can raise objections to Layer 2 data during a specific challenge period.
If inconsistencies between Layer 2 and Layer 1 data are found, the disputing party can raise a challenge. Layer 2 operators must submit evidence to refute the challenge and verify the correctness of the data.
Finality: If no valid challenges occur during the challenge period or if Layer 2 operators successfully refute the challenges, the transactions will be finalized and deemed valid.
1.2 Relationship and Difference Between OP Stack and OP Labs
OP Labs is the team or organization responsible for developing the Optimism solution and is in charge of developing and maintaining the Optimism Layer 2 solution. It is a team or organization dedicated to creating and improving technical tools related to Ethereum scalability, such as Optimistic Rollups. The main goal of OP Labs is to reduce the load on the Ethereum mainnet, lower transaction costs, and increase transaction speed. OP Labs also collaborates with other projects, such as Succinct Labs, to advance Ethereum scalability technologies, such as OP Succinct, which focuses on optimizing zero-knowledge proofs.
OP Stack is a modular architecture or technology stack used to build and expand Ethereum Layer 2 networks. It consists of multiple customizable components that allow developers to build their own Layer 2 chains according to specific requirements. It provides developers with a standardized approach to quickly set up Layer 2 scalability networks tailored to specific conditions.
OP Labs, as the core contributor to the Optimism project, is responsible for developing and maintaining the Optimism network. Their goal is to create efficient scalability solutions for Ethereum, focusing on reducing transaction fees and improving transaction speed. They are not only developing Optimistic Rollups but also driving new technologies related to zero-knowledge proofs, such as OP Succinct developed in collaboration with Succinct Labs.
OP Stack, developed by OP Labs, provides a modular framework that serves as the infrastructure for building Layer 2 networks. Developers can use OP Stack to quickly create different scalability networks. The modular design allows users to flexibly choose different validation mechanisms, such as Optimistic Rollups or ZK Rollups, to meet the needs of various projects.
In essence, OP Labs can be seen as the developer of OP Stack, and OP Stack is the technical tool provided by OP Labs to help developers build and expand Ethereum Layer 2 networks.
Before delving into OP Succinct, it is necessary to introduce the four main components of each OP Stack:
1. op-geth: Collects transactions from users and generates and executes blocks based on these transactions.
2. op-batcher: Batches user transactions and submits them to Layer 1.
3. op-node: Reads batched data from Layer 1 and drives op-geth for state transitions in non-sorter mode.
4. op-proposer: Regularly publishes output roots to Layer 1, captures Layer 2 states, and facilitates withdrawals.
2. Collaboration Between Succinct Labs and OP Labs to Introduce ZK Elements to OP Stack
Image Source: Succinct Blog
2.1 OP Succinct Architecture Components
OP Succinct is built on the components of OP Stack outlined in Section 1.2. It is a lightweight upgrade to OP Stack that allows the chain to use blocks verified by ZK while keeping other components (op-geth, op-batcher, and op-node) unchanged. OP Succinct consists of the following four main components:
Range Program: A program that handles batched blocks and is written in Rust, designed to run within zkVM.
Aggregation Program: Aggregates proofs from the Range program to reduce on-chain verification costs, also written in Rust, designed to run within zkVM.
OP Succinct L2 Output Oracle: A Solidity smart contract that contains an array of L2 state outputs, with each output submitted to the state of the L2 chain. This contract exists in the original Optimism system but has been modified to use proof verification as an authentication mechanism.
OP Succinct Proposer: Observes transaction batches published on L1 and manages proof generation for the Range and Aggregation programs.
2.2 How Does OP Succinct Fit into the Ethereum Scalability Narrative?
Building zkEVM Rollups has been challenging due to the need for extensive cryptographic expertise. When OP Labs developed the modular OP Stack, they anticipated supporting various proof mechanisms. For this purpose, they open-sourced the development of Kona, which uses Rust to implement STF for OP Stack Rollups, ultimately generating zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) for OP Stack using Kona and SP1. This means that theoretically, any OP Stack chain can be upgraded to use ZKP.
The goal of SP1 (Succinct Processor 1) is to enable developers to seamlessly integrate Type-1 zkEVM rollup using standard Rust code. With OP Succinct, the process of upgrading any existing OP Stack chain to Type-1 zkEVM rollup can be completed within an hour, offering the following advantages:
Fast ZKP confirmation: Reduces proof latency to a few minutes, replacing the 7-day fraud dispute window.
Cost efficiency: Average transaction cost reduced to just a few cents.
Switching OP Stack to ZK: By deploying smart contracts, launching a lightweight OP Succinct proposer service, proofs (including batcher/sequencer, op-node, indexer, etc.) can be generated through API calls.
Type-1 zkEVM: All tools and smart contracts compatible with OP Stack Rollups are compatible with OP Succinct Rollups.
Improved scalability: Customizable OP Succinct Rollup allows the addition of new precompiles and modification of Rollup logic as needed.
According to the official GitHub documentation, this process only requires the installation of Rust, Foundry, and Docker to upgrade any existing OP Stack rollup to Type-1 zkEVM rollup. The simplified process involves two steps:
Deploy the ZK L2OutputOracle.sol contract.
Launch the OP Succinct proposer service (detailed steps can be found in GitHub extension link 2).
Image Source: Succinct Blog – Upgrading OP Stack Rollup to ZK Proofs
2.3 Building Type-1 zkEVM with SP1 Reth
Succinct believes that the future of EVM Rollups lies in zkEVM written in the Rust language, which offers better maintainability. Currently, OP Rollups face three major challenges: the long 7-day fraud prevention window, complex interoperability, and reliance on multiple data mechanisms instead of fraud proofs in certain cases. Developing zkEVM is a long-term effort, and SP1 was created to address these challenges.
SP1 is a high-performance, fully customizable zkVM that is 100% open-source and capable of verifying the execution of any Rust (or LLVM-compiled) program. According to publicly available data, the OP Succinct Stack has successfully operated on the OP Mainnet, OP Sepolia, and Base chains, with transaction proof costs ranging from $0.01 to $0.02 (see extension link 3). In the future, all blockchain infrastructure, including Rollups, bridging protocols, and co-processors, may be written in Rust (or other LLVM-compiled languages) and leverage ZKP.
Based on the summary from Succinct’s blog and open-source GitHub content, the performance advantages of SP1 over other zkVMs stem from several key factors:
Precompile-centric architecture: SP1 supports a flexible precompile system that significantly speeds up operations such as secp256k1 and ed25519 signature verification, sha256 and keccak256 hashing, reducing the RISC-V cycle count of many programs by 5-10 times. It aims to provide performance equivalent to ZK circuits while maintaining zkVM flexibility and excellent developer experience.
Full open-source: SP1 is 100% open-source, allowing teams like Argument and Scroll to implement custom precompiles, reducing cycle counts and speeding up proof generation.
Industry standards: Since its launch, the idea of internal precompiles in zkVM has become an industry standard, influencing projects such as RISC0, Valida, Nexus, and Jolt. SP1 is the only available zkVM for production, supporting a wide range of critical cryptographic operations.
Efficient memory read/write: SP1 adopts an innovative memory proof method that achieves consistency across multiple proofs with a single challenge, avoiding the overhead of Merkleized memory.
Basic efficiency optimizations: Leveraging lower amplification factors, next-generation lookup parameters (e.g., logarithmic derivatives like LogUp), and FRI variants in Plonky3, SP1 improves trace region utilization efficiency.
Image Source: Succinct Blog
3. Can OP Succinct Be the Trump Card for OP Stack Against ZK Stack?
Image Source: @jtguibas
If Ethereum’s scalability solution is seen as OP in the short term and ZK in the long term, the potential success of OP Succinct may mark an important milestone in Ethereum’s development path. OP Succinct provides an upgradeable path for ETH Rollups to transition from optimistic verification to zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP). This transition not only reduces transaction costs and improves transaction speed but also retains the security and privacy attributes of ZK Rollups, opening up new possibilities for future application layer scalability.
Among the recognized four major Layer 2 solutions, OP Stack currently seems to have a slight advantage over ZK Stack in ecosystem construction. In the future, the Matthew effect may become more apparent, and the addition of OP Succinct may divert some of the traffic and potential from ZK Stack. If OP Succinct succeeds, it may even challenge traditional zkEVM-based Rollups.
However, based on the current proposed logic, a key issue arises: how can developers ensure timely detection of system-level risks caused by modified State Transition Function (STF) or unknown vulnerabilities introduced when adding new precompiles? This is an area worth long-term attention.
