Polygon co-founder Mihailo Bjelic and Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, recently highlighted conversations about the ETH blockchain and its data storage aimed at achieving optimal functionality. They discussed the possibilities for achieving this goal in a recent publication on Platform X.
The debate about the functionality started with Bjelic, asking: “By the way, are we sure we want to change Ethereum to Verkle trees, since its zk-fication is quite likely?”
Commenting on the matter and responding to Bjelic, Vitalik Buterin explained: “ZK-ifying keccak merkle patricia trees with witness sizes of 300 MB in the worst case is a failure. The verkle tree specification was designed to be zk compatible (e.g. curve picking, using pedersen as hash). So switching to verkle helps with L1 ZKing.”
Btw, are we sure we want to switch Ethereum to Verkle trees, given that its zk-fication is quite likely?
— Mihailo Bjelic (@MihailoBjelic) April 12, 2024
This resource is forming the current or primary data structure in use in the blockchain Ethereum. This structure has its limits, and the expectation is that, in the future, it will be replaced by Verkle trees with proofs that are shorter and have greater bandwidth.
Ethereum Advances with Verkle Trees Implementation, Reveals Vitalik Buterin
In the world of cryptocurrencies, the incessant search for innovation and technological efficiency never ceases. A vivid example of this quest is the recent declaration of Vitalik Buterin on the bright future of Ethereum with the implementation of Verkle trees.
These data structures, although they share similarities with traditional Merkle trees—responsible for consolidating transactions within a block and generating proofs of authenticity—, stand out for their unparalleled efficiency in terms of proof size. “The main property that Verkle Trees offer, however, is that they are much more efficient at proof size,” says Buterin.
Differentiating themselves from Merkle trees, Verkle trees use nodes that incorporate a special type of hash known as vector commitment. This mechanism promises significant advantages for the Ethereum network, most notably the ability to achieve statelessness.
