“zkSync Launches Hyperchains Network – Testnet by Year-end”

zkSync Era’s Response to Optimism’s Superchain Idea

The zkSync Era, a scaling system for Ethereum zero-knowledge proofs, has presented its response to Optimism’s Superchain idea in the form of ZK Stack.

It is a modular framework designed for a set of custom blockchains, powered by ZK, referred to as yperchains. These chains will act as an additional layer to the existing layer-2 protocol, allowing them to be combined and interoperable. This will enable almost instantaneous liquidity transfers and flash loans between protocols within the system, something that is not achievable on L1 blockchains.

It has some resemblances to the Superchain network of Layer 2s presented by Optimism when they declared that Coinbase’s BASE would be the first to join.

Alex Gluchowski, the co-founder and CEO of zkSync, informed Cointelegraph that the system eliminated the requirement for inefficient and vulnerable token bridges, which have been the primary target of a number of the most significant crypto breaches.

“We now have the ZK Stack available for people to begin constructing, and the initial products we are employing to create it are already in place. This will be available on the testnet before the end of the year,” he declared.

Features of the ZK Stack

Gluchowski predicts that the majority of DApps will transition effortlessly to the L2, yet Hyperchains may be employed by projects that need enhanced privacy, speed, and data access. Examples of likely users include gaming, social media, quick exchanges, and banks.

Following a somewhat restrained launch, zkSync Era has made significant progress, with nearly $620 million in total value locked. It now handles 20.8 million transactions each month, at an average of 8 transactions per second, reaching a peak of 12 TPS.

Gluchowski compared the ZK Stack to the framework of the internet, noting the latter’s ability to accommodate an infinite expansion of the network. “You can keep adding servers, cables, and connections, growing from 1000 servers to 1 million to 1 billion servers,” he commented. “Unfortunately, blockchains don’t have this capability.”

ZK Stack utilizes recursive scaling, in which transactions are grouped together into a ZK proof, and then multiple of these ZK proofs are combined into a single proof for greater compression. This allows the system to scale to any size.

Zero-knowledge technology is being used for its ability to provide privacy and scalability.

He explained that multiple proofs from multiple protocols can still be combined and pasted together recursively.

The code is available to the public and is distributed under the MIT/Apache license. zkSync informed Cointelegraph that a few substantial partners are already trying out the system, though they did not divulge further information.

Interoperability Issues with ZK Roll-Ups

Although the ZK Stack has the potential to link to other ZK roll-ups like Polygon’s zkEVM, ConsenSys’ Linea, and StarkNet, Gluchowski suggested that it was improbable. Therefore, the ZK Stack appears to be unlikely to address the interoperability issue with ZK roll-ups in the near future.

Magazine: Learn how Ethereum’s ZK-rollups can be made interoperable.