A question that frequently arises is: “What is the relationship between ZKM and GOAT Network?”
ZKM built the core proving and execution stack - Ziren (ZKM’s MIPS-based zkVM), the distributed prover, and the verification toolchain - that underpins GOAT Network. GOAT is the first production deployment where Ziren is the default proving engine across the system: proving L2 state transitions, securing the native bridge, and enabling low-latency proof generation for Bitcoin-aligned flows.
In short: ZKM provides the core ZK infrastructure; GOAT Network operationalizes it as the primary, end-to-end user of Ziren.
As outlined in CEO Kevin Liu’s article in May ‘24, which explored how a general-purpose zkVM can achieve network effects, ZKM’s strategy has been straightforward: validate Ziren in a real network to drive adoption and network effects, similar to how early L2 success pulled open stacks into broad use.
As ZKM’s roadmap shifted from hybrid rollups to solving liquidity fragmentation via Entangled Rollups, Bitcoin became the first integration target given its large idle liquidity and settlement gravity. GOAT Network was born - the Bitcoin-native rollup adopting Ziren as its proving backend to anchor security, performance, and predictable settlement.
“Ziren is well-suited for research and development of MIPS-based zero-knowledge applications, particularly Bitcoin L2 implementations” - Prooflab Research Collective
In order to preserve invariants across upgrades, align trade-offs among proof size, latency, and cost with the target networks, and prevent circuit rework driven by external API changes, ZKM kept ownership of the core zkVM rather than outsourcing it.
And furthermore, the ISA choice matters. In the beginning, there was only one other general-purpose zkVM in development - and it was built on top of the RISC-V ISA. The ZKM founders decided that it was necessary to build a zkVM using MIPS, with primary considerations being its stability, dense opcodes, and predictable circuit footprints - factors that reduce guest-side friction for systems code and crypto workloads common in rollup infra. On the verification side, STARKs provide speed and a post-quantum-aligned core; recursive compression plus optional SNARK wrapping offers multiple settlement paths, including cost-efficient verification environments.
This combination aligns with Bitcoin-anchored rollups that need verifiable bridges and consistent settlement bounds - and Ziren is still the only production-ready MIPS-based zkVM on the market.
Ziren provides the guest execution environment (MIPS32r2), arithmetization (AIR/FRI), and a proving pipeline designed for throughput and flexible verification. Proofs can be STARK-native for speed and post-quantum alignment, recursively compressed for constant-size outputs, and optionally wrapped on BN254 for practical on-chain verification. The distributed prover coordinates CPU/GPU workers to meet latency targets, and a WASM verifier supports browser-level checks - useful for light clients and user-facing proof confirmations.
These properties map cleanly to Bitcoin L2 requirements: fast off-chain proving, deterministic verification costs, and verifiable bridge mechanics.
With Ziren as its proving engine, GOAT Network becomes the central hub for off-chain Bitcoin activity: L2 execution secured by proofs and a native bridge with verifiable state transitions.
Its decentralized sequencer model is the basis for sustainable BTC yield: sequencer revenues (ordering fees, protocol fees, and proof-attested bridge/settlement fees) are BTC-denominated and flow to participants according to transparent, on-chain rules, without inflationary emissions.
Real-time proving keeps UX responsive while preserving verifiability, making GOAT the coordination layer for Bitcoin-aligned applications rather than a siloed sidechain.
ZKM’s near-term roadmap includes broader guest support and simpler verifier interfaces relevant to Bitcoin rollups, plus BitVM-aligned bridge components. GOAT Network will continue to operationalize these capabilities to deliver verifiable state transitions and predictable settlement for end users.
For contributors and developers evaluating the stack, defer to ZKM’s technical posts for history and rationale, and to ProofLab’s evaluation for an external read on current performance and risks.
The bottom line: ZKM supplies the zkVM and proving infrastructure; GOAT Network is the first full-stack production user applying Ziren to Bitcoin-centric L2 design and operations.
A question that frequently arises is: “What is the relationship between ZKM and GOAT Network?”
ZKM built the core proving and execution stack - Ziren (ZKM’s MIPS-based zkVM), the distributed prover, and the verification toolchain - that underpins GOAT Network. GOAT is the first production deployment where Ziren is the default proving engine across the system: proving L2 state transitions, securing the native bridge, and enabling low-latency proof generation for Bitcoin-aligned flows.
In short: ZKM provides the core ZK infrastructure; GOAT Network operationalizes it as the primary, end-to-end user of Ziren.
As outlined in CEO Kevin Liu’s article in May ‘24, which explored how a general-purpose zkVM can achieve network effects, ZKM’s strategy has been straightforward: validate Ziren in a real network to drive adoption and network effects, similar to how early L2 success pulled open stacks into broad use.
As ZKM’s roadmap shifted from hybrid rollups to solving liquidity fragmentation via Entangled Rollups, Bitcoin became the first integration target given its large idle liquidity and settlement gravity. GOAT Network was born - the Bitcoin-native rollup adopting Ziren as its proving backend to anchor security, performance, and predictable settlement.
“Ziren is well-suited for research and development of MIPS-based zero-knowledge applications, particularly Bitcoin L2 implementations” - Prooflab Research Collective
In order to preserve invariants across upgrades, align trade-offs among proof size, latency, and cost with the target networks, and prevent circuit rework driven by external API changes, ZKM kept ownership of the core zkVM rather than outsourcing it.
And furthermore, the ISA choice matters. In the beginning, there was only one other general-purpose zkVM in development - and it was built on top of the RISC-V ISA. The ZKM founders decided that it was necessary to build a zkVM using MIPS, with primary considerations being its stability, dense opcodes, and predictable circuit footprints - factors that reduce guest-side friction for systems code and crypto workloads common in rollup infra. On the verification side, STARKs provide speed and a post-quantum-aligned core; recursive compression plus optional SNARK wrapping offers multiple settlement paths, including cost-efficient verification environments.
This combination aligns with Bitcoin-anchored rollups that need verifiable bridges and consistent settlement bounds - and Ziren is still the only production-ready MIPS-based zkVM on the market.
Ziren provides the guest execution environment (MIPS32r2), arithmetization (AIR/FRI), and a proving pipeline designed for throughput and flexible verification. Proofs can be STARK-native for speed and post-quantum alignment, recursively compressed for constant-size outputs, and optionally wrapped on BN254 for practical on-chain verification. The distributed prover coordinates CPU/GPU workers to meet latency targets, and a WASM verifier supports browser-level checks - useful for light clients and user-facing proof confirmations.
These properties map cleanly to Bitcoin L2 requirements: fast off-chain proving, deterministic verification costs, and verifiable bridge mechanics.
With Ziren as its proving engine, GOAT Network becomes the central hub for off-chain Bitcoin activity: L2 execution secured by proofs and a native bridge with verifiable state transitions.
Its decentralized sequencer model is the basis for sustainable BTC yield: sequencer revenues (ordering fees, protocol fees, and proof-attested bridge/settlement fees) are BTC-denominated and flow to participants according to transparent, on-chain rules, without inflationary emissions.
Real-time proving keeps UX responsive while preserving verifiability, making GOAT the coordination layer for Bitcoin-aligned applications rather than a siloed sidechain.
ZKM’s near-term roadmap includes broader guest support and simpler verifier interfaces relevant to Bitcoin rollups, plus BitVM-aligned bridge components. GOAT Network will continue to operationalize these capabilities to deliver verifiable state transitions and predictable settlement for end users.
For contributors and developers evaluating the stack, defer to ZKM’s technical posts for history and rationale, and to ProofLab’s evaluation for an external read on current performance and risks.
The bottom line: ZKM supplies the zkVM and proving infrastructure; GOAT Network is the first full-stack production user applying Ziren to Bitcoin-centric L2 design and operations.
