The Ethereum Foundation plans to integrate ZK proofs across the entire stack, from consensus to privacy. And it all starts with one big step: Launching a zkEVM on Layer 1. 👇

1/ ZK is no longer just a scaling story. The Ethereum Foundation wants Ethereum to become the largest platform for ZK applications - powering everything from zkRollups to client-side privacy. This vision starts with a native L1 zkEVM.

2/ The plan is to let validators choose to verify zk-proofs from trusted clients and build confidence over time. Eventually, most validators will switch to proof-based execution. The key protocol change needed: Pipelining in the Glamsterdam fork, it gives provers more time while keeping blocks live. Initially, adoption may be small. But over time, it will grow.

3/ Once a supermajority of validators runs ZK clients, the network can: • Increase the gas limit. • Require proof verification instead of execution. • Unlock native zkRollups via the Execute precompile.

4/ To support this, the Foundation defines a standard for real-time proving: • Proofs must verify in ≤10s. • 100 bits of security (initial), 128 bits long-term. • Proof size ≤300 KiB. • On-prem hardware ≤$100K. • Power consumption ≤10kW.

5/ Why these constraints? To make home proving possible, just like solo staking. Censorship resistance and decentralization depend on it. ZK shouldn’t just scale Ethereum, it should just stay accessible.

6/ ZK proving is already fast and getting faster. With contributions from zkVM teams across the ecosystem, the Ethereum Foundation expects that an L1 zkEVM could ship by the end of 2025.

7/ ZK is more than a feature, it's a direction. Alongside blob scaling and better UX, L1 ZK is a core of Ethereum’s roadmap. The race to zkEVM on L1 has begun. And Ethereum is leading it. Source: