Recently, Vitalik Buterin discussed a new technology that could significantly enhance Ethereum’s main network. This technology involves switching Ethereum’s current system to “Verkle trees,” making the network more compatible with zero-knowledge proofs, which are methods of proving knowledge of some information without revealing that information itself.
Buterin believes that the implementation of Verkle trees will drastically improve the network’s performance. He points out that the current system has limitations with “keccak Merkle Patricia trees,” part of Ethereum’s underlying structure. The main issue is the enormous “witness sizes” – up to 300 MB – which can be impractical for processes that need to be lean and efficient, like zero-knowledge proofs.
On the other hand, Verkle trees are designed with zero-knowledge proofs in mind. They use a different type of cryptographic technique and are based on a specific kind of mathematical curve that is better suited for this purpose. Switching to Verkle trees would assist the application of zero-knowledge proofs to Ethereum’s Layer 1.
The Ethereum community has acknowledged advancements in this technology by Polygon’s zkEVM Type 1, which processes proofs quickly with the necessary computational power. Buterin believes that implementing Verkle trees would lead to faster transactions and lower costs, which may attract more users and developers to the Ethereum network. This increased activity and demand could push the price of Ethereum upward, as predicted by many experts in the crypto space, including Arman Shirinyan, who has over four years of experience as a trader, crypto enthusiast, and SMM expert.
