a16z Launches Open-Source Projects to Speed Up ZK Scaling in Web3
• Prominent VC firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has announced two open-source software projects focused on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs.
• The first project is Lasso, which introduces an innovative technique to expedite ZK systems.
• The second project is Jolt, which proposes a particular type of zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) that incorporates Lasso’s innovations.
Andreessen Horowitz Unveils Open-Source Projects
Prominent venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has revealed two open-source software initiatives focusing on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. These projects are aimed at speeding up the core technology behind ZK proofs, a promising type of cryptography that can help scale blockchains by increasing transaction throughput, reducing costs, and enhancing privacy.
Lasso: An Innovative Technique for Expediting ZK Systems
The first project is Lasso, which introduces an innovative technique to speed up ZK systems. The whitepaper for Lasso was co-authored by Justin Thaler from a16z as well as Srinath Setty—a Microsoft researcher—and Riad Wahby, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The code for this project has already been released under an open-source license so it can be used by external developers in their own projects.
Jolt: A Particular Type of zkVM
The second project is Jolt, which proposes a particular type of zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) that incorporates the improvements from Lasso’s innovations. At the moment this exists only as a research paper but the code will be released in due time too under an open source license so others can use it in their own projects and benefit from the improved scaling capabilities offered by ZK technology .
Benefits to Andreessen Horowitz
Given that many of a16z’s portfolio companies rely on ZK technology, the firm hopes its contributions will enhance these companies’ chances of success and consequently improve its own financial position. Additionally releasing these initiatives as open source could also help differentiate them when competing for lucrative deals due to its good standing within the developer community .
Conclusion
In conclusion, Andreessen Horowitz have unveiled two open source software projects with aims to accelerate the core technology behind Zero Knowledge Proofs; they hope their contributions will benefit their current portfolio companies while also helping them remain competitive when seeking out new business opportunities.