After two years of dedicated development, a group of Ethereum enthusiasts is on the brink of unveiling their zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) called ‘Scroll,’ which has been meticulously crafted with Ethereum’s core values in mind.
While several zero-knowledge EVMs already exist, Scroll’s co-founder, Ye Zhang, emphasized that their project is rooted in idealism. They are unwavering in their commitment to the philosophy and principles that Ethereum holds dear. According to Zhang, this endeavor is a “labor of love” driven by a shared vision to scale Ethereum while upholding its decentralized principles.
He stressed that Scroll is more than just a solution to computational challenges; it’s driven by human interest and community engagement. “We started in an open-source, community-driven way,” Zhang remarked. “We can grow this community organically and then grow our network effect, not in a very aggressive marketing-driven way.”
The zkEVM is poised to launch within weeks after extensive testing and code audits. The scroll will launch once key projects like Uniswap and Aave are ready to deploy on the platform. According to Zhang, zk-rollups, a core feature of Scroll, are considered the “holy grail” of layer-2 scaling solutions due to their cost-effectiveness and security.
However, Scroll enters an already crowded ecosystem, with competitors like Polygon, Immutable, StarkWare, and ConsenSys’ Linea offering zkEVM solutions. Zhang highlighted that Scroll provides a “complete proof” of all Ethereum “opcodes” and transaction components, offering a more robust solution than some competitors.
Scroll, a two-year layer-2 scaling project in development, leverages zero-knowledge proofs to compress data off-chain, with only proofs being submitted on-chain. This approach enables higher throughput. The EVM component ensures native compatibility with existing Ethereum software and applications.
While the initial setup may involve some centralization, such as sequencers, Zhang explained that the project’s roadmap includes decentralization efforts over time. Scroll’s launch represents a significant milestone in Ethereum’s ongoing quest for scalability while staying true to its decentralization and community-driven development principles.
