Aleph Zero Announces Launch Of First EVM-Compatible ZK-Privacy Layer with Subsecond Proving Times

The Aleph Zero Foundation has recorded a major advancement in its ecosystem with the release of its ZK-privacy EVM Layer 2 solution built on Ethereum. This will be the first EVM-compatible privacy solution capable of subsecond ZK proving times.

The solution enhances user experience by making on-chain privacy virtually instantaneous. It will work on consumer-grade devices and zkOS to seamlessly integrate on-chain privacy into various Web3 applications.

zkOS is a client-side, chain-agnostic zero-knowledge privacy system that Aleph Zero plans to develop. With it, users can carry out private transactions and interact with decentralized applications (dApps) without worrying about the safety of their data.

It enables high-throughput applications such as privacy-preserving DeFi apps, RWAs, AI, and enterprise solutions, broadening the reach of privacy technologies to a wider audience. zkOS aims to offer Privacy-as-a-Service (PaaS) via seamless app integrations on WASM and EVM-compatible networks, thus opening up the possibility of future multichain growth.

“Privacy is still mostly unsolved; it’s costly, complex to use and build, and its use cases lack economic incentives. With zkOS by Aleph Zero and the zk-privacy EVM layer 2, we aim to change that not only in the Aleph Zero ecosystem, but also in the broader Ethereum ecosystem thanks to the flexibility of Arbitrum Orbit’s stack and our collaboration with the idOS network.” -Antoni Zolciak, Co-founder of Aleph Zero

Aleph Zero launched its Substrate-based WASM Layer 1 blockchain in 2021, which offers developers subsecond finality and will now serve as the Data Availability layer for the L2 EVM layer, its applications, and its L3 appchains.

The new ZK-privacy EVM Layer 2 Developer Testnet is now live, with Integration examples including Rarible, the NFT company, and extensive developer tooling from Gelato and third-party infrastructure like oracles, block explorers, and multi-sig, making it a versatile platform.

Powered by Arbitrum Orbit on Gelato RaaS, it leverages Arbitrum Anytrust DAC technology for a fast, secure, and scalable execution environment. With up to 250ms block times, near-instant transactions, and thousands of transactions per second, this is one of the fastest EVM chains on the market.

Builders and early adopters can start using the testnet while the Developer Mainnet is scheduled for Q3 of 2024. After the mainnet launch, developers can deploy production-ready apps with optional privacy features. 

The zkOS MVP is also expected by Q3 2024, with ZK identity features in collaboration with idOS and private operations on arbitrary ERC-20 tokens by Q4 2024. Advanced features are expected in Q1 2025.