ZKM began as an internal research-driven effort to integrate zero-knowledge proofs into blockchain infrastructure. In 2022, as discussions around Ethereum scaling intensified, the idea of hybrid rollups began to take shape. Rather than abandoning the Optimistic Rollup model, the proposal was to combine it with zk-proofs to create a hybrid architecture that could deliver both developer flexibility and cryptographic finality. This would later evolve into the vision behind our MIPS-based zkVM.
The decision to adopt the MIPS instruction set was deliberate: while less in-trend than RISC-V, MIPS offered denser opcodes, smaller circuit footprints, and predictable performance characteristics. On the other hand, the opcode complexity made MIPS the more difficult development choice, but the payoff became evident in later benchmarks.
In early 2024, the vision expanded. Rather than stop at hybrid rollups, ZKM committed to solving the deeper issue of liquidity fragmentation. The Entangled Rollup paper outlined how our zkVM could serve as the foundation for a new kind of rollup, acting as a verification layer across chains and enabling unified liquidity without centralized bridges. That vision became the core strategic roadmap: build real infrastructure that connects fragmented chains through ZK validity.
The focus shifted to Bitcoin as the first integration target. With BTC holding the largest idle liquidity in the ecosystem, it was the natural place to begin the Entangled Rollup journey. GOAT Network was born as a Bitcoin-native rollup bringing BTC assets on-chain in a sustainable, yield-enabled framework - utilizing ZKM as its proving backend.
This infrastructure-driven approach contrasts sharply with the surface-level integrations pursued by many zkVM teams. ZKM didn't prioritize optics or rapid integrations. Instead, we prioritized depth, performance, and full-stack ownership.
Recently, the 1.0 version of our zkVM launched with leading CPU-based benchmarks, outperforming other zkVMs like SP1 and R0VM in standard workloads. But that was just the beginning. The next major update unlocks GPU acceleration and distributed proving. For the first time, ZKM becomes performant enough for latency-sensitive, high-throughput applications. Developers no longer need to choose between general-purpose flexibility and practical cost.
We’re building for a future where zero-knowledge infrastructure isn’t a marketing layer - it’s the very core of cross-chain computation. MIPS was the harder path, but it’s proving to be the right one.
In a nutshell, this is the ZKM journey so far. And there’s much more to come.
ZKM began as an internal research-driven effort to integrate zero-knowledge proofs into blockchain infrastructure. In 2022, as discussions around Ethereum scaling intensified, the idea of hybrid rollups began to take shape. Rather than abandoning the Optimistic Rollup model, the proposal was to combine it with zk-proofs to create a hybrid architecture that could deliver both developer flexibility and cryptographic finality. This would later evolve into the vision behind our MIPS-based zkVM.
The decision to adopt the MIPS instruction set was deliberate: while less in-trend than RISC-V, MIPS offered denser opcodes, smaller circuit footprints, and predictable performance characteristics. On the other hand, the opcode complexity made MIPS the more difficult development choice, but the payoff became evident in later benchmarks.
In early 2024, the vision expanded. Rather than stop at hybrid rollups, ZKM committed to solving the deeper issue of liquidity fragmentation. The Entangled Rollup paper outlined how our zkVM could serve as the foundation for a new kind of rollup, acting as a verification layer across chains and enabling unified liquidity without centralized bridges. That vision became the core strategic roadmap: build real infrastructure that connects fragmented chains through ZK validity.
The focus shifted to Bitcoin as the first integration target. With BTC holding the largest idle liquidity in the ecosystem, it was the natural place to begin the Entangled Rollup journey. GOAT Network was born as a Bitcoin-native rollup bringing BTC assets on-chain in a sustainable, yield-enabled framework - utilizing ZKM as its proving backend.
This infrastructure-driven approach contrasts sharply with the surface-level integrations pursued by many zkVM teams. ZKM didn't prioritize optics or rapid integrations. Instead, we prioritized depth, performance, and full-stack ownership.
Recently, the 1.0 version of our zkVM launched with leading CPU-based benchmarks, outperforming other zkVMs like SP1 and R0VM in standard workloads. But that was just the beginning. The next major update unlocks GPU acceleration and distributed proving. For the first time, ZKM becomes performant enough for latency-sensitive, high-throughput applications. Developers no longer need to choose between general-purpose flexibility and practical cost.
We’re building for a future where zero-knowledge infrastructure isn’t a marketing layer - it’s the very core of cross-chain computation. MIPS was the harder path, but it’s proving to be the right one.
In a nutshell, this is the ZKM journey so far. And there’s much more to come.
