California-based startup Space and Time (SxT) has launched a high-performance zero-knowledge (ZK) prover to enhance on-chain transactions and defi growth. Publicly available under the name Proof of SQL, this sub-second ZK prover stack was initially released to a select group of SxT clients in alpha last August.
ZK provers are essential for privacy in cryptographic technology, allowing data validation without revealing extra information. Vitalik Buterin and other web3 developers see ZK stacks as crucial for secure decentralized finance (defi) ecosystems. Unlike traditional ZK proofs, which can slow execution, SxT’s Proof of SQL offers faster query responses.
Jay White, SxT’s co-founder, explained that Proof of SQL allows smart contracts and AI agents to query on-chain and off-chain data, delivering trustless SQL results within a transaction in under one second. The system processes over 100,000 row tables swiftly on a single GPU, outperforming generalized zk-Virtual Machines.
This advancement promises quicker, more efficient blockchain operations, reinforcing the strategic importance of ZK technology in enhancing decentralized systems.
