Written by: Blockchain Knight
The zkEVM ecosystem has achieved a performance leap after a year of intensive efforts, with Ethereum block proof time plummeting from 16 minutes to 16 seconds, a cost reduction of 45 times. Participating zkVMs are now capable of proving 99% of mainnet blocks within 10 seconds on target hardware.
On December 18, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced the implementation of real-time proof mechanisms and the removal of performance bottlenecks. However, it emphasized that the real challenge lies in reliability, stating that speed without security underpinnings becomes a burden. Furthermore, several zkEVMs based on STARK algorithms have seen their security levels downgraded recently as the mathematical conjectures they rely on have been disproven in recent months.
The EF had previously set comprehensive real-time proof goals in July, covering multiple dimensions such as latency, hardware, and security. These goals have now been met as per the EthProofs benchmark tests.
The core shift is moving from pursuing throughput to prioritizing provable security. It explicitly states that L1-level zkEVMs must achieve a 128-bit security standard, aligning with mainstream cryptographic norms. This is because forged proofs could lead to fatal risks like token counterfeiting and L1 state tampering, making security margins non-negotiable.
The EF simultaneously unveiled a three-phase security roadmap:
- By the end of February 2026, all zkEVM teams must integrate their proof systems with EF's soundcalc security assessment tool to unify security calculation standards;
- Achieve the Glamsterdam standard by the end of May, meeting interim targets like 100-bit provable security;
- Complete the H-star final goal by the end of December, achieving 128-bit provable security, and provide formal security arguments for recursive topological structures.
To achieve these goals, the EF mentioned core technical tools like WHIR and JaggedPCS, which can improve efficiency by optimizing proof generation and avoiding computational waste, while also using techniques like recursive topologies to reduce proof size.
However, multiple challenges remain. Real-time proofs have not yet been implemented on-chain, raising questions about their actual performance for validators; security parameters need dynamic adjustment as mathematical conjectures are disproven; it's uncertain if some teams can meet deadlines; and formal verification projects for recursive architectures are still in early stages, leading to uneven ecosystem development.
Notably, compliant zkEVMs could enable Ethereum to increase the Gas limit, enhancing block capacity while ensuring staking feasibility, promoting L1 as a trusted settlement layer, and blurring the boundaries between L2 and L1 execution.
Now that the performance sprint has concluded, the core proposition for the zkEVM ecosystem has shifted to achieving sufficiently reliable security proofs capable of supporting trillion-dollar asset scales, without relying on easily falsifiable conjectures. The security race has officially begun and will be the main theme for Ethereum in 2026.
