Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson recently teased the implications of ZK-rollups technology to the Cardano blockchain during an Ask-Me-Anything Session (AMA). ZK-rollups is a type of layer-2 solution designed to increase scalability and provide better security, while maintaining the base layer’s validation process. Hoskinson suggested ZK-rollups will be utilized in relation to the Cardano sidechain, Midnight, which is focused on privacy and data protection.
ZK-rollups refer to a technology that takes hundreds of transactions from the main chain, validates each using zero-knowledge proof (a private authentication system), and then batching the transactions into a single transaction that the main chain can verify using a SNARK (Short Non-Interactive Argument for Knowledge). This process reduces the main chain’s computation load, resulting in faster transactions, with the zero-knowledge aspect providing requirement of a trusted third-party.
ZK-rollups are typically associated with Ethereum, which relies heavily on layer 2 scaling solutions to lessen base layer congestion and provide other benefits such as higher throughput, better security, and privacy features. Hoskinson said there was a “huge wonderful, beautiful plan” for ZK-rollups on Cardano and is “heavily related to Midnight” – Cardano’s privacy-focused sidechain – but did not provide any further details.
It’s likely ZK-rollups will be incorporated into Midnight for security and to protect data from breaches and censorship. As smart contracts are not needed for zero-knowledge proofs, the integration of ZK-rollups with Midnight could optimize the sidechain’s performance in terms of privacy and data protection. However, before this can take place, it appears Hoskinson and his team at IOHK will provide more technical details and explanations.
Overall, the rollout of ZK-rollups technology onto Cardano holds great potential, with the IOHK team looking to utilize it in different ways such as privacy and data protection. Charles Hoskinson only teased the rollout, but more details will follow in due course.