Near Foundation Partners with Polygon Labs for Innovative ZK Solution

The Near Foundation, a non-profit entity at the forefront of the Near Protocol, has recently forged a strategic alliance with Polygon Labs, a prominent provider of Ethereum scaling solutions. The primary aim of this partnership is to bolster interoperability among diverse blockchain networks.

This collaborative venture represents a substantial leap forward for the Near protocol, bridging it closer to Ethereum, one of the largest and most influential blockchain networks globally. A pivotal outcome of this partnership is the capacity for blockchains leveraging WebAssembly (WASM) technology to leverage Ethereum's liquidity, as elucidated in the official press statement.

The crux of this joint endeavor revolves around the creation of zkWASM, a zero-knowledge prover tailor-made for WebAssembly (WASM) blockchains. The introduction of zkWASM is poised to empower developers by presenting them with a selection of provers to choose from throughout the development process.

In the foreseeable future, the ongoing development of the interoperability layer will grant chains access to shared liquidity within a unified ecosystem of CDK-deployed chains. This encompasses alternative layer-1s, EVM layer-2s, and WASM chains, as meticulously outlined in the press release.

The forthcoming stride forward is positioned to simplify operations for Near validators. They will be relieved of the arduous task of validating a shard. Instead, validators can generate a zero-knowledge proof, streamlining the process and enhancing scalability.

Zero-knowledge technology, a facet of cryptography, is gaining prominence in the digital asset sphere this year. It obviates the need for individuals to routinely divulge personal information to various websites or online applications.

Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, voiced his pride in the collaborative research initiative with Near. He underscored the significance of propelling the development and adoption of ZK technology. The zkWASM prover, by optimizing developer customizability, provides projects with the flexibility to select from a variety of provers when working with the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK). This holds true whether they are launching or migrating an EVM chain or constructing a WASM chain for closer alignment with Ethereum and access to liquidity.

The zkWASM prover is presently in active development and is slated for launch in the coming year, as delineated in the official press statement. This progress is poised to exert a noteworthy influence on the landscape of blockchain technology and its broader applications.

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