---
# System prepended metadata

title: RiscZero

---

# RiscZero

What are they doing now, the current state, new use cases.

## How to get their latest updates.

- Their [discord](https://discord.gg/risczero)
- Their [website](https://www.risczero.com/)
- Their [twitter](https://twitter.com/risczero)
- Their [youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@risczero)

## Latest news/current state

- They released [v0.14.0](https://github.com/risc0/risc0/releases/tag/v0.14.0) in 2023/3/31, breaking changes follow

  - `risc0_zkvm::Prover` no longer takes an `image_id` parameter. The Image ID is instead calculated from the supplied ELF binary.
  - We have moved the examples and starter template into our main repository. You can now find the examples in the [examples directory](https://github.com/risc0/risc0/tree/main/examples). You can generate a starter project from our template using our [cargo risczero](https://crates.io/crates/cargo-risczero) tool. **The standalone risc0-rust-examples and risc0-rust-starter repositories are deprecated**.
  - The backend for host-guest communication has been updated. There have been some corresponding changes to the API for host-guest communication, including some breaking changes, although the most commonly used functions like env::read will generally still work without adjustment. Check out the new `env::stderr`, `env::stdin`, and `env::stdout`! See the `guest::env` [documentation](https://docs.rs/risc0-zkvm/latest/risc0_zkvm/guest/env/index.html) and the `prove::io` [documentation](https://docs.rs/risc0-zkvm/latest/risc0_zkvm/prove/io/index.html) for more details.
  - Replaced `risc0_zkvm::MemoryImage::root` with [risc0_zkvm::MemoryImage::get_root()](https://docs.rs/risc0-zkvm/latest/risc0_zkvm/struct.MemoryImage.html#method.get_root).
  - Dropped `VerificationError::SealJournalLengthMismatch` and renamed `VerificationError::JournalSealRootMismatch` to [VerificationError::JournalDigestMismatch](https://docs.rs/risc0-zkp/latest/risc0_zkp/verify/enum.VerificationError.html#variant.JournalDigestMismatch).

- Their project, zkPoEX (Zero-Knowledge Proof of Exploit), won 1st place in the ETHDenver Hackathon DeFi Track.
  - [zkPoEX](https://github.com/zkoranges/zkPoEX) (zk proof of exploit) is a Proof-of-Concept developed at ETH Denver Hackathon with the aim to facilitate communication and collaboration between security experts and teams in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space by enabling white hat hackers to report live vulnerabilities in smart contracts while maintaining the confidentiality of the exploit.
    - The term "exploit" refers to a vulnerability or weakness found in a smart contract that could be used to perform unauthorized actions or manipulate the system in some way.
  - Built using RISC Zero’s zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM), zkPoEX is a Proof of Concept (PoC) that showcases a simple reentrancy case; it's an exciting application of zero-knowledge technology in the DeFi landscape.
  - More details can be found in their [Github Repo](https://github.com/zkoranges/zkPoEX).

## Their new use cases

- [zkPoEX](https://github.com/zkoranges/zkPoEX)
  - As described in the above section
- [zkFHE](https://github.com/emilianobonassi/zkFHE)
  - Verifiable and confidential computation based on ZKP and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), powered by risc0 zkVM.
  - A PoC to demonstrate an approach for private computation on a public environment w/o give up data availability (since data can stay encrypted).
  - FHE provides confidentiality, ZKP provides the proof that the algorithm run following the rules.
- [Zero Knowledge Decision Tree Prediction (ZK-DTP)](https://github.com/only4sim/ZK-DTP)
  - In today's digital era, machine learning has become an essential tool for solving complex problems and making data-driven decisions. However, using ML models for sensitive applications can lead to privacy concerns and the potential for data leakage. This becomes especially challenging when the ML model provider needs to offer predictions without disclosing their proprietary model's critical attributes and thresholds. Traditional approaches for sharing ML models expose these sensitive details, making it difficult to strike a balance between functionality and privacy.
  - Zero-KnowLedge Decision Tree Prediction (ZK-DTP) is designed to address this pressing issue by offering privacy-preserving predictions using decision tree models, built on top of RISC Zero's zkVM technology. ZK-DTP enables ML model providers to generate accurate predictions without revealing any sensitive information about the model or the input data.

## Their current plans

- No clear plan/roadmap found
  - They involved in different events actively (ZK Hack and ZK Submit) and promoted their technology.

## Their implications for us

- If we want to use their technology, we need to use their latest codes and learn how to use it.
  - E.g., in their latest version, they changed the way to calculate the image ID.
- Our old PoC codes need to be updated according to their latest provided functionality/codebase.

# zkSync Era

What are they doing now, the current state, new use cases.

## How to get their latest updates.

- Their [discord](https://join.zksync.dev/)
- Their [website](https://zksync.io/)
- Their [twitter](https://twitter.com/zksync)
- Their [blog](https://blog.matter-labs.io/)

## Latest news/current state

- zkSync Era Mainnet was open to all on Mar. 24, 2023

```!
  Today marks a big milestone for zkSync Era and Ethereum: the gates to the world’s first zkEVM Mainnet are now open in a permissionless manner for everyone to use. We’ve completed robust testing, multiple tier-1 security audits, public contests, and bug bounties. We’ve added independent monitoring and risk mitigation mechanisms. Now developers, projects, and users can build on and bridge funds to experience the power of zkEVM.
```

- More details can be found in the [blog posting](https://blog.matter-labs.io/gm-zkevm-171b12a26b36)
- Their latest docs of [how to use ZkSync Era](https://era.zksync.io/docs/dev/building-on-zksync)
- Their repos of [Plugins](https://github.com/matter-labs/hardhat-zksync) (updated rapidly)
  - hardhat-zksync-solc: This plugin is used to provide a convenient interface for compiling Solidity smart contracts before deploying them to the zkSync network.
  - hardhat-zksync-deploy: This plugin simplifies the deployment of your smart contracts to the zkSync network by providing utilities for deploying smart contracts with artifacts built by the zkSync hardhat-zksync-solc or hardhat-zksync-vyper plugins.
  - hardhat-zksync-verify: This plugin helps you to verify your smart contracts on the zkSync network by providing a set of tasks that automate the verification process.
  - hardhat-zksync-vyper: This plugin is used to provide a convenient interface for compiling Vyper smart contracts before deploying them to the zkSync network.
    - [Vyper](https://docs.vyperlang.org/en/stable/): Vyper is a contract-oriented, pythonic programming language that targets the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
  - hardhat-zksync-chai-matchers: This plugin adds additional chai matchers to be used when writing tests with specific zkSync features.
    - [Chai](https://www.chaijs.com/): A BDD / TDD assertion library for node and the browser that can be delightfully paired with any javascript testing framework.

## Their new use cases

- [Raise Finance](https://twitter.com/raise_fi) leveraged zkSync native account abstraction features to onboard billions of users onto Web3
  - zkSYnc provides native AA support similar to ERC4337, low-cost txns, & zk specific fee model that makes the new generation of self-custodial wallets possible
- [Zomma Protocol](https://t.co/VZpAVU0RrO) is the FIRST DeFi Option Protocol that offers the highest capital efficiency on zkSync.
- More use cases can be found in their [twitter](https://twitter.com/zksync).

## Their current plans

- Provide easy-to-use tools and easy-to-follow documents for developers to build on zkSync.

## Their implications for us

- If we leverage zkSync we need to use their nets and pay gas fees for them.
