zkVM Integrations

ethrex integrates with multiple zero-knowledge virtual machines (zkVMs), giving you flexibility in how you prove Ethereum execution. This page provides an overview of each integration, its status, and links to deployment documentation.

Integration Overview

zkVM	Organization	Status	L1 Proving	L2 Prover	Documentation
SP1	Succinct	Production	✓	✓	SP1 Prover Guide
RISC Zero	RISC Zero	Production	✓	✓	RISC0 Prover Guide
ZisK	Polygon	Experimental	✓	Planned	Coming soon
OpenVM	Axiom	Experimental	✓	Planned	Coming soon
TEE (TDX)	Intel	Production	—	✓	TDX Prover Guide

SP1 (Succinct)

SP1 is a zkVM developed by Succinct Labs that enables efficient proving of arbitrary Rust programs.

Status: Production-ready for both L1 proving and L2 prover deployments.

Key Features:

GPU acceleration via CUDA
Proof aggregation support
Extensive precompile patches for Ethereum operations
Active development and community support

Integration Details:

ethrex uses SP1's precompile patches for optimized cryptographic operations
Supports both CPU and GPU proving modes
Compatible with Aligned Layer for proof aggregation

Get Started:

RISC Zero

RISC Zero is a zkVM built on the RISC-V architecture, providing a general-purpose proving environment.

Status: Production-ready for both L1 proving and L2 prover deployments.

Key Features:

GPU acceleration support
Bonsai proving network for distributed proving
Strong developer tooling and documentation

Integration Details:

ethrex integrates with risc0-ethereum for optimized trie operations
Supports CUDA acceleration for faster proving
Some precompiles (Keccak, BLS12-381) require the "unstable" feature flag

Get Started:

ZisK (Polygon)

ZisK is Polygon's zkVM designed for high-performance proving with GPU acceleration.

Status: Experimental. L1 proving is functional; L2 integration is planned.

Key Features:

Native GPU support with custom CUDA kernels
Unique MODEXP precompile implementation
Optimized for high-throughput proving

Integration Details:

ethrex supports ZisK for L1 block proving via ethrex-replay
Most Ethereum precompiles are supported with patches
P256 verification is not yet available (no patch exists)

Current Limitations:

L2 prover integration is not yet complete
Requires manual installation from source for GPU support

OpenVM (Axiom)

OpenVM is Axiom's modular zkVM framework designed for flexibility and extensibility.

Status: Experimental. Initial integration for L1 proving.

Key Features:

Modular architecture for custom extensions
Support for multiple proving backends
Designed for composability

Integration Details:

Basic integration for L1 block proving
Precompile support is being expanded
L2 prover integration is planned

TEE (Intel TDX)

Intel Trust Domain Extensions (TDX) provides hardware-based trusted execution for block proving.

Status: Production-ready for L2 prover deployments.

Key Features:

Hardware-based security guarantees
No cryptographic proving overhead
Fast execution within trusted enclave

Integration Details:

Supported as an L2 prover option
Can run alongside zkVM provers for redundancy
Requires TDX-capable hardware

Get Started:

Run an ethrex TDX prover

Multi-Prover Deployments

ethrex supports running multiple provers simultaneously, providing redundancy and flexibility:

                    ┌─────────────┐
                    │   ethrex    │
                    │  Sequencer  │
                    └──────┬──────┘
                           │
           ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
           │               │               │
      ┌────┴────┐    ┌────┴────┐    ┌────┴────┐
      │   SP1   │    │  RISC0  │    │   TDX   │
      │ Prover  │    │ Prover  │    │ Prover  │
      └────┬────┘    └────┬────┘    └────┬────┘
           │               │               │
           └───────────────┼───────────────┘
                           │
                    ┌──────┴──────┐
                    │   Aligned   │
                    │    Layer    │
                    └─────────────┘

See Multi-prover deployment guide for configuration details.

Ecosystem Integrations

Aligned Layer

Aligned Layer provides proof aggregation and verification services for ethrex L2 deployments.

Features:

Aggregates proofs from multiple zkVM backends
Reduces L1 verification costs
Supports SP1, RISC Zero, and other proof systems

Documentation: ethrex <> Aligned integration

Choosing a zkVM

Consideration	Recommendation
Production L2	SP1 or RISC Zero (most mature)
Maximum performance	SP1 with GPU acceleration
Hardware security	TEE (TDX)
Experimentation	ZisK or OpenVM
Redundancy	Multi-prover with SP1 + RISC Zero + TEE

Performance Comparison

See zkVM Comparison for detailed benchmark data comparing proving times across backends.

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