Zero Knowledge

This episode was recorded live at zkSummit14 in Rome. In it, Anna and Nico Mohnblatt hosted the live ‘Quantum Question’ panel which began as an interview, but became something harder to categorize: part seminar, part group therapy, part improv theater, and — depending on the timeline you expect for viable quantum computers — part emergency briefing. The logistics of the panel were really unusual. The guests were meant to be Justin Drake and Dan Boneh, but Dan’s flight was delayed. And so the panel began with just Justin Drake and the hosts — what someone in the room jokingly described as the highest moderator-to-panelist ratio in zkSummit history. To compensate, the format broke open: researchers from the audience, including Daira-Emma Hopwood from the Zcash team and Jens Groth (author of Groth16), joined the conversation. A park bench materialized in real time. The conversation veered into the history of quantum computing research, why Shor’s algorithm threatens today’s public-key cryptography and pairing-based SNARKs, fault-tolerant ‘logical qubits’, physical qubit fidelities, and why neutral-atom machines—despite slower cycle times—may be the most practical path to ‘Q-Day.’ The group also debates the rush-to-post-quantum pitfalls, the benefits of lattice-based post-quantum schemes versus hash-based ones, and how hybrid transitions are unfolding in practice. This was a truly chaotic, spontaneous, informative and fun session at zk14 with some great contributors from attendees and community members, we hope you enjoy it!   Related Links ZK14 - The Quantum Question Panel VideoEpisode 391 -lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin DrakeEpisode 400 - Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan BonehQuantum Algorithm Zoo

In this episode, Anna chats with Auryn Macmillan, founder of Gnosis Guild. They check in on Zodiac, which started as a DAO toolset and has evolved into a modular access control suite for on-chain entities. They discuss the state of DAOs today—what's worked, what hasn't, and how tools like Zodiac might have mitigated large-scale multisig hacks like the recent Bybit exploit. The conversation then shifts to The Interfold (formerly Enclave), Gnosis Guild's new project combining FHE, ZK, and MPC to create encrypted execution environments. These enable multiple parties to collectively compute over private data and produce a verifiable output without any single trusted coordinator. They explore use cases like secret ballot voting and sealed bid auctions, the broader potential for collaborative analytics and private AI training, and how this fits into the larger privacy ecosystem.   Related Links Charting Zodiac & DAOs with Nathan Ginnever and Auryn Macmillantheinterfold.comgnosisguild.orgHow Aztec Raised $59M With 17,000 Bidders Using Uniswap’s CCA     Check out the talks from zkSummit14 in Rome on our YouTube channel here.     **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on <a href=

In this 400th episode, Anna Rose welcomes back Dan Boneh, professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University, for a wide-ranging conversation on quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography, and the evolving role of ZK. They discuss Google's recent quantum algorithm announcement—what the paper actually showed, why it was proven in zero knowledge, and the cryptographic ideas embedded in the work. Dan shares his perspective on quantum timelines, the risks of rushing the post-quantum transition, and why algebraic signatures deserve more attention than hash-based ones in the blockchain world. The conversation covers hybrid signature schemes, the web's quiet transition to post-quantum cryptography, and the intersection of AI and ZK. Dan also highlights witness encryption, explains why encrypted mempools are generating new research questions, and closes with an update on the Ethereum Foundation's Proximity Prize. Related Links Episode 100 with Dan BonehEpisode 256 with Dan BonehEpisode 345 with Dan BonehEpisode 390 lean Ethereum Miniseries Kick-off with Anna & NicoEpisode 359 Lattice-based ZK Systems with Vadim LyubashevskyEpisode 364 AI and ZK Auditing with David WongEpisode 382 Kevin Lacker on AI-Assisted Theorem Proving and AcornSecuring Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and MitigationsOptimal Proximity Gaps for Subspace-Design Codes and (Random) Reed-Solomon CodesOratomic (Neutral Atoms Startup)Proximity Prize<div class="logo__item logo__text"

In this episode, Anna is joined by co-hosts Guillermo Angeris, Nico Mohnblatt, and Tarun Chitra for a reunion on this 399th episode. They reflect on how they each joined the show and how both the podcast and the ZK space have evolved over time, before diving into discussion on whether ZK is ‘dead’ or simply maturing. They explore its shift from niche research to hype-driven narrative to becoming a widely used but increasingly invisible piece of infrastructure. They go on to discuss the changing landscape of ZK companies, the explosion of new applications, and the trend of teams using ZK as an implicit primitive rather than a headline feature. The episode closes with a broader reflection on decentralisation, usability, and what the next phase of ZK adoption might look like.   Related Links Between Two ZK Events with Nico and GuillermoBuilding Private AMMs with Guillermo Angeris2021 Statistical modeling with PoS systems with Tarun ChitraIndistinguishability Obfuscation (iO) with Huijia (Rachel) Lin Error Correcting Codes & Information Theory with Ron RothblumHow ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda ChristEthproofs, zkVM Benchmarks & the Unstoppable Rise of ZK with Justin DrakeDecentralized Storage Part 1: Looking back<span style="

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt speak with Shyam Duraishwami and Emanuele Ragnoli, co-founders of Provably. They trace the origins of Provably, from early work on data ecosystems and blockchain infrastructure to the launch of their verifiable database approach, exploring how advances in cryptography and database theory enabled this shift. The conversation dives into what a verifiable database actually is and how this contrasts with Merkle-based systems and zkVMs, explaining how Provably’s use of polynomial and vector commitments enables performance that scales with query complexity rather than dataset size, opening the door to large-scale, real-world applications. They close with a discussion on emerging applications from proving insights over private blockchain data to enabling verifiable analytics in Web2 and multi-agent systems—and the broader implications for data integrity in an increasingly data-rich world.   Related Links Tavloid: towards Simple Verifiable Spreadsheets and Databases by CampanelliLinear-map Vector Commitments and their Practical Applications by Campanelli, Nitulescu, Ràfols, Zacharakis and Zapico qedb: Expressive and Modular Verifiable Databases (without SNARKs) by Botta, Bottoni, Campanelli, Ragnoli and Trombetta     Applications to attend zkSummit14 are open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com   zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report.     <span style="font

In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris catch up with Dev Ojha, co-founder of Osmosis and longtime ZK researcher. They revisit the story of Osmosis since its 2021 launch as a key Cosmos DEX, its role in early IBC adoption, the DeFi summer surge, the Terra collapse fallout, and the later pivot by the team toward privacy-focused cross-chain tools. The conversation then turns to Dev’s return to privacy tech, focusing on Zcash. They explore ongoing challenges like shielded sync, nullifier bloat, and scaling shielded transactions, along with proposed solutions involving private information retrieval (PIR), oblivious synchronization, evolving nullifiers, recursive SNARKs, faster block times with pre-confirmation ideas, and paths toward post-quantum recoverability. They wrap-up with a discussion about the need for further zkVM optimization and his vision for a more private future.    Related Links OsmosisZcashNamadaFractal: Post-Quantum and Transparent Recursive Proofs from HolographyTachyon: Scaling Zcash with Oblivious SynchronizationIBC ProtocolPrivate Information Retrieval (PIR)Arkworks Related Previous ZK Episodes Sean Bowe on Tachyon and the Evolution of Zcash     Applications to attend the zkSummit

https://youtu.be/9u4fu7TiZCA In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Alex Hicks from the Ethereum Foundation about formal verification and its role in the lean Ethereum vision. This is the 6th and final episode of the lean Ethereum mini-series. Nico and Alex explore what it means to produce machine-checked proofs across the ZK stack, from RISC-V and zkVMs to circuits, compilers, and cryptographic primitives, and how these pieces connect in practice. The conversation also covers Alex’s path from physics and math into the ZK space, how the EF effort took shape, and the community push to formally verify the entire stack using proof assistants like Lean. They discuss efforts to formalize zkVM components, the tradeoffs between proof assistants and automated solvers, and what real progress looks like after a year and a half of focused work.   Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prizelean Ethereum Part 4: leanVM, a Custom VM for Signature Aggregationlean Ethereum Part 5: Devnets & Upgrade Coordination with Will and Raúllean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressLean Proof AssistantIsabelle Proof AssistantEthereum Foundation     Applications to attend the zkSummit14 on May 7 in R

https://youtu.be/Ul2bs8INF0k In this episode Nico Mohnblatt chats with Will Corcoran and Raúl Kripalani from the Ethereum Foundation. This is part 5 in the 6-part leanEthereum miniseries, shifting focus from the cryptographic primitives and LeanVM stack to the real-world integration happening through devnets, specs, and cross-team coordination. They dive into the human coordination layer, how independent teams align on post-quantum signatures, SNARK aggregation, and protocol changes, plus the networking upgrades needed for larger payloads. Raúl explains the shift from today's libp2p stack to a purpose-built Eth P2P next-gen version optimised for Ethereum's workloads, including better broadcast layers, erasure coding, and control planes to handle bandwidth competition between execution and consensus layers. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prizelean Ethereum Part 4: leanVM, a Custom VM for Signature Aggregationlean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressEthereum Foundation     Applications to attend the zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early at www.zksummit.com   zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for <span style="font-we

https://youtu.be/YWkyvTrwtQU   In this episode of the lean Ethereum miniseries, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Thomas Coratger and Emile from the Ethereum Foundation about the design and implementation of LeanVM, a minimal zkVM created to support post-quantum signature aggregation on Ethereum’s consensus layer. They explain why the team chose a VM architecture over fixed circuits and how LeanVM takes inspiration from Cairo with just 4 opcodes and 2 precompiles to keep the instruction set extremely small and make formal verification easier. The conversation also covers LeanVM implementation choices like using Plonky3 and WHIR for efficient proving on CPUs, benchmarks for aggregation speed, and the role of Python specs in testing client interop. They share ongoing efforts to optimize low-level primitives and invite community input on the project.   Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prizelean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressCairo zkVMWHIR: Reed–Solomon Proximity Testing with Super-Fast VerificationMinimal zkVM for Lean Ethereum by Emile Repos leanEthereum github organization<span style="font-weig

https://youtu.be/v8SGKS3T-3A In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Giacomo Fenzi from EPFL and Antonio Sanso from the Ethereum Foundation. For this 3rd instalment of the lean Ethereum miniseries, they talk about the theory and security behind post-quantum SNARKs. They dive into the hash-based proof systems underpinning LeanVM, multilinear approaches like sumcheck, and how these fit into Ethereum's post-quantum upgrades. They cover the $1M Proximity Prize and the recent wave of papers on proximity gaps, correlated agreement, and list decoding. From negative results near the Elias bound to breakthroughs beyond the Johnson bound for certain codes, the discussion explores how new results slightly degrade conjectural security, why the 128-bit threshold still matters, and what it means to move from conjectural to provable security in large-scale systems like Ethereum. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressleanSig ImplementationPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash FunctionOn Proximity Gaps for Reed–Solomon CodesProximity Gaps in Interleaved Codes<span styl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh8hbz1nqxQ In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Benedikt Wagner and Dmitry Khovratovich, cryptography researchers at the Ethereum Foundation, for the second instalment of the lean Ethereum miniseries. They explore leanSig, a hash-based multi-signature scheme designed as a post-quantum replacement for BLS in Ethereum consensus. The conversation walks through how one-time signatures and Merkle trees can be combined to support long-lived validators, and why SNARK-based aggregation is needed in a post-quantum setting. The talk touches on key tradeoffs like signature size versus verification speed, encoding challenges behind their At the Top of the Hypercube work, and the role of Poseidon as the core hash function. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressleanSig ImplementationPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash FunctionAt the Top of the Hypercube – Better Size-Time Tradeoffs for Hash-Based SignaturesHash-Based Multi-Signatures for Post-Quantum EthereumTechnical Note: LeanSig for Post-Quantum EthereumAborting Random Oracles: How to Build them, How to Use them<span style="fo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dad2UonQ9Ag&feature=youtu.be In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt sits down with Justin Drake from the Ethereum Foundation to kick off a miniseries on lean Ethereum, a bold vision to rethink Ethereum’s consensus, data, and execution layers. Justin outlines how post-quantum cryptography, faster finality, and enshrined zkEVMs fit together into a cohesive redesign. At the heart of it is leanVM, an ultra-minimal zkVM built to aggregate hash-based signatures and recursively verify proofs, potentially turning post-quantum migration into a scalability win. They also explore formal verification efforts, the shift from conjectured to provable proximity gaps, Poseidon2 as a hash candidate, and how this work could set a post-quantum standard not just for Ethereum, but for other blockchains as well. This episode sets the stage for deeper dives in coming episodes. Related Links Ethproofslean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Functiongithub.com/leanEthereum/leanSpecgithub.com/leanEthereum/leanMultisig     Applications to speak at zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report.     **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast <span style="font-weight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbskOlf7oA0 In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt kick-off a new six-part video miniseries exploring lean Ethereum. Lean Ethereum is a proposal initiated by the EF that weaves zero-knowledge cryptography and post-quantum upgrades throughout Ethereum’s stack. They discuss why the topic deserves a deeper series, what listeners can expect from upcoming episodes, and how this new video-first format will differ from the podcast’s usual style. The conversation previews key themes like hash-based signatures, formal verification, proximity gaps, and the broader goal of future-proofing blockchain protocols with minimal cryptographic assumptions. They also share details about the upcoming zkSummit14 and how the community can get involved. Related Links Ethproofslean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Function     Applications to speak at zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com   zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report.     **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram <span style="font-weight:

There’s no full-length episode this week, but we wanted to highlighting a new bonus segment available exclusively to zkMesh+ subscribers. In this, we revisit last week’s conversation with Ian Miers, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland.  Ian dives deeper into: The renewed cultural focus on privacyThe evolving narrative around ZcashHis recent research on reducing nullifier state growth without relying on traditional pruning Join zkMesh+ as a paid subscriber to get access to this and all our extra members-only perks. https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe We return next week with a 6-part series on Lean Ethereum… stay tuned!

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt welcome back Ian Miers, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, to continue the conversation from a previous episode and dig deeper into his latest work like zk-Promises, zk-Cookies, and Cryptographic Personas. These ZK tools aim to build social networks that protect user privacy while maintaining integrity, like anonymous moderation and reputation systems without central databases. Ian explains how they differ from traditional creds but share ideas around proving attributes securely. The conversation explores real-world applications, such as banning bad actors without de-anonymizing them, setting rules in private group chats, and creating self-sovereign identities that persist over time. Ian also touches on challenges like stolen accounts, trolling, age checks, and how these primitives could shape future online interactions.   Related Links Ian Miers: Academic profile and publicationszk-creds: Flexible Anonymous Credentials from zkSNARKs and Existing Identity Infrastructurezk-promises: Anonymous Moderation, Reputation, and Blocking from Anonymous Credentials with Callbackszk-Cookies: Continuous Anonymous Authentication for the WebCryptographic Personas: Responsible Pseudonyms Without De-AnonymizationZexe: Enabling Decentralized Private ComputationZerocoin to zk-creds: Modern ZK History with Ian Miers     zkMesh+ is live! Subscribe for <span st

No full length episode this week, but we have released an additional podcast clip with Sean Bowe to our a zkMesh+ paid subscribers. Sean Bowe is a Zcash core developer and lead on Tachyon. In this clip, Sean shares his thoughts on the question of quantum computers and their real impact on blockchains and ZK systems. Join zkMesh+ as a paid subscriber to get access to this and all our extra members-only perks. https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Anna Rose catches up with Sean Bowe, a Zcash core developer now leading work on Tachyon, the upcoming Zcash shielded pool upgrade. They discuss the evolution of Zcash’s technical roadmap over the past five years and how it has influenced the design of Tachyon. Sean then walks through the cryptographic ideas behind Tachyon, including its proving systems, new techniques for pruning nullifiers without disrupting other parts of the protocol, and how the upgrade aims to address Zcash’s remaining scalability bottlenecks. They also explore plans for Zcash governance, wallet UX, and the long-term outlook for privacy-focused zero-knowledge systems. Related Links Tachyon WebsiteZcashElectric Coin Company (ECC)Halo (ZK Proof System)Orchard Shielded PoolTachyon (Zcash Upgrade)ZK Podcast: Halo with Sean Bowe and Daira Hopwood from ECCZK Podcast: Sean Bowe on SNARKs, Trusted Setups and Elliptic Curve CryptographyzkSummit4: Sean Bowe on Halo: Recursive Proofs without Trusted SetupsA Note on Notes: Towards Scalable Anonymous Payments via Evolving Nullifiers and Oblivious Synchronization by Bowe and Miers     zkMesh+ launches today! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the lat

We share some updates about the upcoming episodes and the ZK Podcast & ZK Hack ecosystem - specifically zkMesh+ launching this Wednesday. zkMesh+ will bring together work from the Zero Knowledge Podcast, ZK Hack, and ZK Mesh. Subscribers will have access to a set of additional resources, including: the quarterly State of ZK Reportmonthly addendums on adjacent technologies such as FHE, iO, and MPCearly access and discounts for events like zkSummit and ZK Hack hackathonsselect subscriber-only Zero Knowledge Podcast segments and other experimental content If that sounds interesting, you can subscribe ahead of launch directly on the ZK Mesh Substack https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe

In this end-of-year episode, Anna recaps the major ZK themes of 2025 and gives a preview of what’s coming in 2026 — new episodes, a mini-series, zkSummit14, and the rollout of ZK Mesh Plus, a unified space for newsletters, educational content, and events. She highlights this year’s core research threads, from lattices and Ligero to quantum security, ZK-ID systems, emerging applications, and the ongoing push toward better proving benchmarks. Anna wraps with reflections on why privacy tech is becoming more urgent in the age of AI and what the community will be exploring next year. Related Links Ecosystem ZK Whiteboard Sessions ZK MeshSubscribe to ZK MeshZK Podcast substackState of ZK Report ZK Systems Story Back to the Future with Zero KnowledgeZero Knowledge Systems, Privacy and Security with Jonathan WilkinsThe Founding of Zero Knowledge Systems with Austin Hill Lattices Implementing LatticeFold with Matthew and Albert from Nethermind Lattices, Folding, & Symphony with Binyi ChenZK Whiteboard:Lattice-based SNARKs, w/ Vadim LyubashevskyZK Whiteboard:LatticeFold, w/ Binyi Chen Ligero <li st

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt catch up with Pratyush Mishra, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss the various themes in his ZK research and some of the works he has been a part of in the last few years. They explore how Garuda and Pari achieve extremely small SNARK proofs, how Arc facilitates hash-based folding, proximity proofs with FICS and FACS, his work on low-memory SNARKs, and ZK applications outside the blockchain space. Pratyush shares how these ideas intersect with one another, from faster proving to smallest proof sizes to real-world uses. He also touches on his collaborations with other leading cryptographers like Benedikt Bünz and Alessandro Chiesa, and how ZK is finding its place in broader computer science.   Related Links Garuda and Pari: Faster and Smaller SNARKs via Equifficient Polynomial CommitmentsArc: Accumulation for Reed--Solomon CodesFICS and FACS: Fast IOPPs and Accumulation via Code-SwitchingScribe: Low-memory SNARKs via Read-Write StreamingCoral: Fast Succinct Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge CFG ProofsHekaton: Horizontally-Scalable zkSNARKs via Proof AggregationQuery-Optimal IOPPs for Linear-Time Encodable CodesTime-Space Trade-Offs for SumcheckBlendy: A Time-Space Tradeoff for

In this episode Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt chat with Binyi Chen, researcher at Stanford University. They discuss his work on lattice-based folding schemes, revisit LatticeFold and LatticeFold+, and cover how lattices enable low-cost, post-quantum-secure folding by replacing Pedersen hashes with Ajtai commitments. They discuss the early folding work from 2023 and how it has evolved and explore the advantages of lattices over other approaches in the folding context while also highlighting their tradeoffs. Binyi goes on to introduce Symphony, his new work that eliminates the need to implement Fiat-Shamir in the recursive verification circuit, and describes how that improves efficiency and removes the chances for a KRS-style attack.   Related Links Binyi Chen’s WebsiteLatticeFold: A Lattice-based Folding Scheme and its Applications to Succinct Proof SystemsLatticeFold+: Faster, Simpler, Shorter Lattice-Based Folding for Succinct Proof SystemsSymphony: Scalable SNARKs in the Random Oracle Model from Lattice-Based High-Arity FoldingProtostar: Generic Efficient Accumulation/Folding for Special-sound ProtocolsZK Whiteboard Sessions:SEASON 3 MODULE 3: Lattice-based SNARKs, w/ Vadim LyubashevskyZK Whiteboard Sessions:SEASON 3 MODULE 4: LatticeFold, w/ Binyi ChenImplementing LatticeFold with

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Sora Suegami and Enrico Bottazzi from Machina iO. They explain indistinguishability obfuscation (iO) technology and how they are working to bring this powerful cryptographic primitive from theoretical territory into the practical world. They discuss how the pair got into iO and how new assumptions like all-product LWE and evasive LWE will help bridge theory to practice. They explore the benchmarks, the challenges and opportunities of this cutting-edge privacy cryptography and cover potential optimizations and real-world uses. While iO is still far from being truly practical, their work shows tangible steps ahead and offers interesting insights into how this could actually work. Related Links Indistinguishability Obfuscation (iO) with Huijia (Rachel) LinMachina iODiamond iO: A Straightforward Construction of Indistinguishability Obfuscation from LatticesCompact Pseudorandom Functional Encryption from Evasive LWEIndistinguishability Obfuscation from Well-Founded Assumptions Lookup-Table Evaluation over Key-Homomorphic Encodings and KP-ABE for Nonlinear OperationsOriginal BGG+ paper:Fully Key-Homomorphic Encryption, Arithmetic Circuit ABE, and Compact Garbled Circuits∗Gentry’s classic thesis on FHE bootstrapping:<span style="font-weight: 40

In this episode, Anna Rose chats with Alex Pruden and Conor Deegan from Project 11. They revisit the topic of quantum computing and explore the threat it poses to cryptographic systems like blockchains. As blockchain technology becomes increasingly integrated into global financial infrastructure — especially through stablecoins and banking rails — the stakes for quantum security continue to rise. Alex and Conor break down which algorithms are most at risk, why simple network upgrades won’t be enough, and what users will need to do to protect their own funds. They also outline potential mitigation strategies, including how Project 11 is approaching the challenge with post-quantum signature schemes, secure vaults, and a global namespace to coordinate user migrations ahead of “Q-Day.” The conversation also touched on how post-quantum thinking overlaps with zero-knowledge research, as hash- and lattice-based SNARKs offer resilience against future quantum attacks.   Related Links Project 11Yellow PagesPQC Suite B GitHub  Securing Sui in the Quantum Computing EraQuantum resource estimation for large scale quantum algorithms: Section 5Estimating the cost of generic quantum pre-image attacks on SHA-2 and SHA-3Downtime Required for Bitcoin Quantum-Safety   Related Episodes Quantum Engineering with Jelena Vučković<li style="font-weight:

There is no episode this week, but we share some updates from the ZK Hack ecosystem. Sign up here for ZK Mesh and find the latest module of ZK Whiteboard Season 3 here.     **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address

In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris talk with Kevin Lacker, creator of Acorn, a theorem prover utilising AI. They explore what theorem provers are, their history, and how they're used today. Kevin shares how Acorn brings in AI to simplify the proving process, letting users naturally write mathematical statements while the system checks the correctness of those statements. It's built to feel more like natural math, unlike tools like Lean that demand every step. They also explore the benefits of including AI in math, and also the challenges that come with it such as hallucinations, and how Acorn could speed up research in areas like zero-knowledge proofs. The dicussion also covers the history of mathematics, community building around Acorn and its open math library, acornlib.   Related Links Guillermo’s Blog Post:Acorn and the future of (AI?) theorem provingAcorn Theorem ProverAcorn Standard Library:acornlibLean Theorem Prover     ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here.     Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board.      **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree <span style="font-weight:

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra catch up with Sid Gandhi and Calum Moore from Payy to discuss the Payy private payment system and the newly released Payy credit card. They explore their focus on building a user-friendly privacy focused product, how ZK tooling advancement makes this possible, and a walkthrough into how it works with the Visa remittance system. Sid and Cal explain Payy's design as a ZK Validium rollup on Polygon, using client-side proofs and a Merkle tree to ensure privacy and compliance. The discussion also delves into the history and past challenges of self-sovereign payments; how self-sovereign money goals were overshadowed by speculation, why many new stablecoin projects feel like a step back to traditional finance, and how privacy-focused payments are making a comeback in 2025.  Related Links Payy NetworkPayy WalletPayy CardZcashThe whitepaper for Payy Network The payy card launch on XPayy runner, anew way to earn payy points      ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here<span style=

In this episode, Anna Rose chats with Théo Madzou and Michael Elliot from ZKPassport and Obsidion about their ZK-based identity solution. Théo shares his start in ZK through ZK Hack hackathons using Noir, while Mike shares his path from Bitcoin and MakerDAO to working on zkID systems. They explain how they teamed up to build ZKPassport, a non-profit public-good ZK identity solution project,and how they plan to bring it into Obsidion, a for-profit, privacy-focused fintech-style application that they’re working on. They discuss Noir's evolution and their contribution to this accending zkDSL, how subcircuits and subproofs enable mobile proving, how ZKPassport differs from projects like Self and Rarimo, how they integrated ZKPassport in the wild with DevCon and Aztec, and their plans for better UX and user-friendly apps.   Related Links ZKPassportObsidionZKPassport: Where are we now?ZK HACKNoirAztec   Related Episodes Episode 358: Building ZK Registries Onchain with RarimoEpisode 377:Evolving ZK Identity from Iden3 to Privado & BillionsEpisode 366: Bringing ID Onchain with Self     ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series prod

In this episode, Anna Rose and Kobi Gurkan chat with Arnaud Brousseau and Jack Kearney from Turnkey about verifiable key management using trusted execution environments (TEEs). They share how their past work on custody and validators inspired them to build more sophisticated key management tools and some of the qualities TEEs enabled.  The discussion covers a range of challenges and techniques: the role of remote attestation and reproducible builds in ensuring trust, strategies to prevent downgrade attacks, and the use of authorisation and policy layers to reduce misuse of keys while still enabling automation.    Related Links Turnkey: a Verifiable Key Management SolutionTurnkey's ArchitectureStageXReflections on Trusting Trust By Ken ThompsonHow to Prove False Statements: Practical Attacks on Fiat-ShamirTurnkey Blog: Remote attestations are useless without reproducible buildsEpisode 339: TEEs with Andrew Miller     ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology.  Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here.     **If you like what we do:** <span style="font-weig

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt catch up with Ian Miers from the University of Maryland, starting with his work on seminal ZK blockchain research, Zerocoin and Zerocash and the creation of the first zk-focused blockchain project Zcash. They then explore the history of trusted setups, including the trusted setup bug discovery in Zcash, and subsequent improvements like Powers of Tau. Ian also discussed his work on ZEXE, a system that has inspired the formation of Aleo, and his more recent works: zk-creds for building flexible anonymous credentials from existing identity signals like passports, and zk-promises for supporting anonymous reputation, moderation, and callbacks in decentralized systems. They also touch on broader topics like post-quantum security considerations, sybil resistance, and the need for programmable privacy tools.   Related Links Ian Miers: Academic profile and publicationsZerocoin: Anonymous Distributed E-Cash from BitcoinPinocchio: Nearly Practical Verifiable ComputationZerocash: Decentralized Anonymous Payments from BitcoinZcash: Privacy-preserving cryptocurrency based on Zerocash protocolZexe: Enabling Decentralized Private ComputationPowers of Tau Ceremony: Zcash Foundation's multi-party computation for secure zk-SNARK parametersPowers-of-Tau to the People: Decentralizing Setup Ceremonieszk-creds: Flexible Anonym

In this episode, Anna Rose chats with David Z and Oleksandr (Sasha) from Privado ID and Billions Network about the evolution of ZK-based identity systems, tracing their roots back to iden3 in 2018, one of the earliest projects to pioneer ZK for on-chain identity. They discuss their origin as the iden3, their creation of the influential Circom DSL, the move into Polygon ID, the spin-out as Privado ID with a focus on B2B privacy tools and verifiable credentials, and the recent launch of Billions Network, which aims to build a scalable network of humans and AI agents with mobile-first verification and progressive proofs. They compare their broad, composable approach to projects like Self, Rarimo, and ZK Email, while highlighting future plans for reputation layers, on-chain economies, and AI agent identities to enable accountable interactions in a decentralised world. Related Links Privado ID introduces Billions: The First Global Human & AI NetworkBillions Launches Mobile App for Digital Identity Verification in the Age of AIDEEPTRUST: VERIFIABLE IDENTITIES AND REPUTATION FOR AI AGENTSIden3 Protocol Specifications (Version 0)W3C: Verifiable Credentials OverviewPoseidon: ZK-Friendly Hashing<span

In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris speak with Bobbin Threadbare and Gaylord Warner from Miden to explore their zkVM and edge blockchain architecture. The group also reminisces on how they've each been a part of the ZK Whiteboard Sessions over the years. Bobbin shares Miden's earliest beginnings from Winterfell at Facebook through its development within Polygon to the recent spin-out as an independent project. The team discusses their custom ISA designed for blockchain use cases, and the multi-stage compilation pipeline that supports it. The conversation also covers Miden's pragmatic approach to privacy implementation, their plans for gradual decentralization starting with a centralized L2, and how they incentivize users to keep state off-chain through multidimensional fee structures.   Related Links ZK WhiteboardEpisode 373: Ethproofs, zkVM Benchmarks & the Unstoppable Rise of ZK with Justin DrakeEpisode 369: Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with MuthuEpisode 367: Local-First with grjte and Goblin OatsEpisode 365: ZK in Sui & zkAt with Kostas KryptosEpisode 210: The Road to STARKs and Miden with Bobbin ThreadbareThe Miden Compiler v0.4.0 – A Major MilestoneZK Whiteboard Sessions - Module Four: SNARKs vs STARKs with Bobbin Threadbare<a href="ht

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Huijia (Rachel) Lin from the University of Washington to explore indistinguishability obfuscation (iO), often described as the 'holy grail of cryptography'. iO is a powerful primitive that, if fully realised, could have profound implications for privacy tech as a whole. Rachel helps break down the concept for listeners who may already be familiar with ZK, FHE and TEEs, clarifying how iO differs but also some of the similarities in the assumptions upon which it is based. Rachel also explains how it differs from similar concepts: garbled circuits and functional encryption. The discussion covers the evolution of iO research in her work over the last decade, how the cryptographic assumptions have hardened since that time, and what iO can offer in terms of precise, controlled information revelation.   Related Links Indistinguishability obfuscation from well-founded assumptionsIndistinguishability Obfuscation from DDH-like Assumptions on Constant-Degree Graded EncodingsOn Lattices, Learning with Errors, Random Linear Codes, and CryptographyHow to Use Indistinguishability Obfuscation: Deniable Encryption, and MoreFunctional Encryption for Quadratic Functions, and Applications to Predicate EncryptionGarbled circuit     ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons <span style="f

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Vlad and Murat from Lighter, a ZK-powered perp DEX on Ethereum. They explore how perps, short for perpetuals/perpetual trades, emerged as a crypto invention, how the exchanges offering perps evolved over the years, and the tradeoff space between transparency and privacy, specifically for market makers. Vladimir discusses the advantage of building a perp DEX with a team consisting of both quants and engineers. They also cover how ZK has come to be used in some projects but not others, what opportunities verifiability can unlock, and why their project favored building custom ZK circuits over using existing zkVMs.   Related Links ZK Whiteboard Sessions zkLighter White PaperA primer on perpetualsHyperliquid docsdYdXGMXLighter Discord     Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board      **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/zerokn

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt catch up with Justin Drake from the Ethereum Foundation to explore Ethproofs, asking what exactly is Ethproofs: is it a meme, a platform, a benchmarking effort and/or an emerging community? Justin shares the emergence of the project within the EF, the influences that shaped it and what Ethproofs comprises of today. He also shares the goals of the project and how this initiative supports the snarkification of the EVM by providing standardized benchmarks for the growing ecosystem of zkVMs. Their discussion covers the evolution from monolithic zkEVM approaches to RISC-V-based systems, and movement towards mandatory proofs and eventual zkVM enshrinement.   Related Links Episode 369: Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with MuthuEpisode 321: STIR with Gal Arnon & Giacomo FenziEpisode 258: Ultrasound Money & VRFs with Justin DrakeEpisode 120: ZKPs in Ethereum with Vitalik Buterin & Justin DrakeEpisode 74: Blockchain 101: Randomness and Random Beacons with Justin DrakeZK11: SNARK proving ASICs - Justin DrakeL2BEATPicus Announcing Protocol     Check out the latest jobs

In this episode, Anna Rose and Kobi Gurkan chat with Vikas Rushi from PSE, and Ying Tong to explore two topics at the intersection of ZK and the real-world data: zkPDF and zkID. First they dive into zkPDF, a set of tools for proving facts on digitally signed PDFs. Vikas talks about the challenges of parsing data inside zkVMs—working with decades-old specifications that use many different encodings, and tackling practical use-cases like bank statements and ID verification. They also explain how issuers, such as India’s DigiLocker, can generate proofs in a way that protects individual privacy. Next they cover zkID and the EF’s work on building a system that would meet the EU’s Digital Identity Framework requirements ahead of its 2026 rollout. Ying Tong explains how the EF’s work on zkID differs from existing zk-based identity projects, particularly through its device-binding requirements, the cryptographic community’s feedback to the EU Commission, the trade-offs between proof systems, PSE’s work on standards and more. They wrap up with a chat about the challenges of revocation in both systems, and what’s next for the projects.  Related Links Episode 367: Local-First with grjte and Goblin OatsEpisode 366: Bringing ID Onchain with SelfEpisode 363: Bringing ZK to Google Wallet with Abhi and MatteoEpisode 362: zkTLS with Maddy from Reclaim<li style="font-weight: 400"

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Miranda Christ, a computer science PhD student at Columbia University, about the intersection of cryptography and AI through watermarking techniques. Miranda shares her research on developing imperceptible ways to prove that content was created by AI models, covering everything from simple red-green word lists to sophisticated pseudorandom error-correcting codes. The discussion explores the cryptographic properties of watermarks - including completeness, soundness, and undetectability - and how these parallel the properties we see in zero-knowledge proof systems. Miranda explains how watermarking differs from other cryptographic approaches like ZKML by only modifying the sampling process rather than the underlying model weights, making it computationally lightweight and practical for deployment.   Related Links Episode 206: Distilling DeFi Primitives with Guillermo, Alex and TarunMy AI Safety Lecture for UT Effective AltruismGoogle SynthIDAmazon Public Watermark DetectorHow ChatGPT could embed a ‘watermark’ in the text it generates - New York TimesWall Street Journal on OpenAI not Deploying WatermarksA Watermark for Large Language Models

In this episode, Anna Rose welcomes back Daniel Kang professor at UIUC and founding technical advisor at VAIL, for an update on ZKML and how the space has evolved since early 2023. Daniel covers the 2023-2024 cohort of ZKML tools including zkCNN, zkLLM, EZKL, and his original ZKML project, while introducing his new project ZKTorch, which offers a flexible hybrid of specialized and general-purpose approaches. The discussion explores practical applications like verified FaceID, proof of prompt, and proof of training, along with the technical challenges of adding ZK proofs to machine learning models. Daniel shares insights on the performance trade-offs between specialized cryptographic systems and generic circuits, and how ZKTorch aims to offer both flexibility and speed for proving ML inference.   Related Links ZKTorch: Open-Sourcing the First Universal ZKML Compiler for Real-World AIZKTorch: Compiling ML Inference to Zero-Knowledge Proofs via Parallel Proof ZK Torch GitHubAccumulation byBing-Jyue Chen,Lilia Tang,Daniel KangEpisode 369: Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with MuthuEpisode 356: ZK Benchmarks with Conner SwannEpisode 364: AI and ZK Auditing with David WongEpisode 265: Where ZK and ML intersect with Yi Sun and Daniel Kang</s

In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris catch up with Muthu Venkitasubramaniam, Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and cofounder of Ligero. They discuss how Ligero’s small memory footprint makes it a good choice for client-side proving, as well as the importance of programmable compliance in blockchain. The conversation explores the differences between ‘MPC in the head’ and error-correcting code perspectives, and how well-established primitives influence the design of modern ZK systems. They also debate the challenge of adding ‘ZK’ privacy back into systems without it, why proving EVM traces may be absurd, and what kinds of guarantees might exist around the results of vibe coding.   Related Links Episode 363: Bringing ZK to Google Wallet with Abhi and MatteoEpisode 326: MPC & ZK in Ligero and LigetronZK13: Ligerito: A Small and Concretely Fast Polynomial Commitment Scheme - Kobi GurkanZK13: Vibe coding ZK Apps with Ligetron ZK Platform - Muthu Venkitasubramaniam ZK10: Analysis of zkVM Designs - Wei Dai & Terry Chung Ligerito: A Small and Concretely Fast Polynomial Commitment SchemeLigero++ - Reducing proof length of LigeroAdding Zero-Knowledge to STARKs - Talk by Ulrich HaböckAuror

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt speak with Dan and Sinu from TLSNotary to trace the project’s journey from early Bitcoin forum ideas to its current role as a foundational protocol maintained by PSE. Dan recounts the origins of TLSNotary as a tool for cryptographically proving web data, while Sinu explains how the project was revived to provide modern TLS attestation. The conversation covers the use-cases for verifiable web proofs, the different modes these interactive protocols can take, and the broader impact of this technology on leveraging siloed user data. Related links: Episode 325: Web Proofs with Tracy from Pluto Episode 354: The Founding of Zero Knowledge Systems with Austin Hill Episode 362: zkTLS with Maddy from Reclaim 2013 Blog Post ‘tlsnotary - cryptographic proof of fiat transfer for p2p exchanges’ TLSNotary Whitepaper DECO: Liberating Web Data Using Decentralized Oracles for TLS Primus Labs (Previously PADO) Town Crier: An Authenticated Data Feed for Smart Contracts     Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board.      **If you like wha

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt speak with Goblin Oats from Tonk and grjte from Bain Capital Crypto to explore the emerging world of local-first architecture. Goblin shares the evolution of Tonk from an experimental lab working on blockchain games to a product that enables anyone to build personalised local-first software using natural language. grjte discusses her Groundmist project exploring personal data lakes and the intersection between local-first systems and the AT Protocol. The conversation explores the technical foundations of local-first software, including Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs), parallels with blockchain systems, and how ZK proofs show up within cloud-optional architecture. Related links: Tonk GitHub Groundmist Dappicom — NES Emulation in Noir Speakeasy Automerge CRDT AT Protocol Ink & Switch: Local-first software Homomorphically Encrypting CRDTs Beelay - A new sync protocol for Automerge Jess Martin

In this episode, Anna Rose speaks with Florent Tavernier from Self and Marek Olszewski from Self and Celo to explore how Self are bringing identity onchain using ZK, the Sybil protection that offers, and the origins of OpenPassport. The discussion covers Self's approach to supporting different forms of ID, the challenges of disparate cryptographic standards, and how government signatures can be used to bootstrap onchain identity systems.  Related links: Self Protocol on X/Twitter Episode 364: AI and ZK Auditing with David Wong Episode 363: Bringing ZK to Google Wallet with Abhi and Matteo Episode 358: Building ZK Registries Onchain with Rarimo Episode 93: Light clients & ZKPs with Celo Celo ZK Email Modular Summit 3 panel (with Florent and Anna) Plumo: An Ultralight Blockchain Client 0xPARC MiniPay Map of each country’s cryptography choices

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra catch up with Kostas Kryptos from Mysten Labs to explore the latest ZK innovations being built on Sui. Kostas shares updates on zkLogin and introduces zkAt (ZK Authenticator), a new research project enabling programmable and updatable access control for accounts where Groth16's trusted setup and the generated toxic waste is used in a very novel way.  This discussion also covers Sui's ambitious plans to become quantum-ready, including their innovative approach to transitioning existing EdDSA accounts to post-quantum security using STARKs without requiring users to change their addresses. They touch on ZK Tunnels, working with the Greek stock market, and how ZK is breaking out of the  web2/web3 paradigm. Related links: Episode 257: Proof of Solvency with Kostas Chalkias Episode 302: ZK for web2 interop with zkLogin & ZK Email Episode 363: Bringing ZK to Google Wallet with Abhi and Matteo Zero-knowledge Authenticator for Blockchain: Policy-private and Obliviously Updateable zkLogin All About Account Abstraction Zengo Crypto Wallet Trusted Setup Ceremony     Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jo

In this episode, Anna sits down with David Wong from zkSecurity to discuss the impact of AI on the field of zero-knowledge auditing. David shares how his team is integrating AI agents into their workflow, the opportunities and challenges this brings, and how the role of the human auditor is evolving as AI becomes more capable. They also cover the unique aspects of auditing ZK-based systems, how this is different from smart contract auditing, and the broader implications of AI for security in cryptography and blockchain. The conversation touches on the ethical considerations of AI in security, the future of the auditing profession, and the ways ZK and AI are increasingly intersecting. Related links: Episode 290: Exploring, Teaching and Auditing ZK with David Wong Episode 76: Sean Bowe on SNARKs, Trusted Setups & Elliptic Curve Cryptography Proof is in the Pudding Session 04: Lattice-Based SNARKs and Post-Quantum Cryptography Fiat-Crypto: Synthesizing Correct-by-Construction Code for Cryptographic Primitives Ethproofs Call #2 | real-time proving Folding Circom circuits: a ZKML case study - Dr. Cathie So     Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board.    **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast <a href="https://zeroknowledg

In this episode, Anna and Nico speak with Abhi Shelat and Matteo Frigo from Google about their work integrating zero-knowledge proofs into the Google Wallet. They discuss the technical decisions behind the Anonymous Credentials for ECDSA system, including the challenge of designing a proof system where proving must be efficient enough to run on the client device in a large-scale consumer application, and how they design a system using sumcheck and Ligero to overcome NTT issues. The conversation also touches on the process of standardization, the return of ZK to its privacy roots, and the broader significance of seeing advanced cryptography adopted by a major tech company outside the blockchain space. Links: Episode 303: A Dive into Binius with Jim Posen Anonymous credentials from ECDSA libZK: a zero-knowledge proof library European Digital Identity FFTW Doubly-Efficient zkSNARKs Without Trusted Setup Ligero: Lightweight Sublinear Arguments Without a Trusted Setup Everything provable is provable in zero-knowledge Circle STARKs</li

In this episode, Anna speaks with Madhavan (Maddy) Malolan from Reclaim Protocol about his work on zkTLS and its applications in web data verification. Maddy shares the journey of building Reclaim, from initial attempts at implementing DECO to developing their current proxy-based solution. The conversation explores the technical challenges of implementing zero-knowledge proofs for HTTPS connections, comparing proxy and MPC approaches, and discussing security considerations. Maddy explains how Reclaim is bringing ZK technology to mainstream applications, focusing on three key verticals: education verification, employment history, and financial background checks. Related links: Episode 353: Making ZK More Human with ZK Email TLSNotary DECO: Liberating Web Data Using Decentralized Oracles for TLS Proxying is Enough: Security of Proxying in TLS Oracles and AEAD Context Unforgeability     Register for ZK Hack Berlin happening 20 - 22 June!     **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube   <span style="font-weight: 40

There’s no interview this week, but we have some ad spot availability coming up! If you want to reach a highly technical ZK audience and get eyes on your project, tooling, hiring, and more, get in touch at [email protected]. If you would like to donate individually to the show, our eth address is here: 0xE2C080047213C1d8cDf2099E0B07479C5D9cee8a

In this episode, Anna and Nico speak with Matthew Klein and Albert Garreta from Nethermind about their work implementing and advancing lattice-based cryptography systems, particularly focusing on folding schemes and their applications in zero-knowledge proofs. Matthew and Albert share insights from their implementation of LatticeFold and discuss the evolution of lattice-based systems, including newer developments like LatticeFold+ and Neo. The conversation explores the unique challenges and opportunities of working with lattice-based constructions, from performance optimizations to post-quantum security considerations. They also dive into their work on post-quantum signatures for Ethereum, light zkML solutions, and the Zinc project, which offers a novel approach to handling integer-based constraints in zero-knowledge proofs. Related links: Episode 359: Lattice-based ZK Systems with Vadim Lyubashevsky Episode 293: Exploring Security of ZK Systems with Nethermind’s Michał & Albert Episode 277: Nova and Beyond with Srinath Setty ZK Whiteboard Sessions S2M6: An Update on Folding with Albert Garreta Nethermind’s LatticeFold implementation Ajtai vs Merkle vs Pedersen LatticeFold paper LatticeFold+ paper Neo paper LaBRADOR paper <a href="https://blog.matter

In this episode, Anna and Guillermo are joined by Alex Obadia and Nicola Greco, co-authors of the Quantum Punks Manifesto, for a discussion at the intersection of quantum technology and cryptography. They explore the cultural and technical gaps between the quantum and crypto communities, sharing the story behind the manifesto, their vision for bridging these worlds and the applications that such a combination could unlock.   Related links: Quantum Punks Manifesto Episode 288: Quantum Cryptography with Or Sattath Episode 357: Quantum Engineering with Jelena Vučković Paris Workshop Video Playlist Teleport.Best Flashbots Project Aria Protocol Labs Conjugate Coding BB84: Quantum cryptography: Public key distribution and coin tossing   Further reading: The Coming Wave: New Applications of Quantum Cryptography -- Nicola Greco (DeepQuantum) Quantum Punks’ meta-l

In this episode, Anna and Nico speak with Vadim Lyubashevsky, research scientist at IBM Research, about the evolving field of lattice-based cryptography and its role in zero-knowledge systems. Vadim shares the history and mathematical foundations of lattices, and explains how they might be used to build post-quantum secure ZK proofs and SNARKs. The conversation covers the unique challenges of adapting lattice techniques to zero-knowledge, explores the tradeoffs relative to hash-based constructions, and highlights the importance of developing quantum-safe standards for the future of cryptography. Related links: Episode 345: Latest ZK Research with Dan Boneh Episode 288: Quantum Cryptography with Or Sattath LaBRADOR: Compact Proofs for R1CS from Module-SIS⋆ IBM’s post-quantum NIST published standards Project11 Minkowski’s Geometry of Numbers LLL reduction Shortest vector problem Basic Lattice Cryptography: The concepts behind Kyber (ML-KEM) and Dilithium (ML-DSA) by Vadim Lyubashevsky     Spots for zkSummit13 are limited - grab your ticket at www.zksummit.com<sp

This week, Anna speaks with Lasha Antadze, co-founder of Rarilabs and Rarimo, about the evolution of digital identity systems. Lasha shares his journey from working with government eID systems to building decentralized identity solutions using zero-knowledge proofs. The conversation explores how Rarimo is taking a fundamentally different approach to identity verification by keeping all processing client-side, from passport scanning to biometric verification. This enables new use cases like censorship-resistant voting systems and privacy-preserving account recovery, while avoiding the traditional pitfalls of centralized identity providers. The discussion also covers the challenges of building trust in cryptographic systems, the potential applications of client-side ZK proofs for AI governance, and how Rarimo is working to make identity tools that are both powerful and accessible to everyday users. This episode provides a fascinating look at how zero-knowledge proofs are reshaping our understanding of digital identity and privacy. Further reading: On-Chain Reputation & Identity Building with Sismo Coordinating Provers with Norbert from ZkCloud STORK 2.0 eIDAS Freedomtool Account recovery demo at Denver     Spots for zkSummit13 are limited - grab your ticket at www.zksummit.com!     Missing Link are a talent team built for the Web3 era, helping projects across the ecosystem connect with the right candidates at the right time.  <span