Ethereum ecosystem contributor Polygon Labs increased its zero-knowledge investment to $1 billion by acquiring the startup Toposware.
The company that created the MATIC ecosystem, Polygon Labs, has expanded its toolkit for zero-knowledge (ZK) development to include the $30 million blockchain builder Toposware.
A cryptographic technique known as “zero-knowledge” enables blockchains to validate transactions while keeping sender and recipient details private. The company has widely used the proof mechanism to scale its Ethereum-based layer-2 networks.
With this acquisition, the 11 engineers and development stack of Toposware are brought on board for what the MATIC developer refers to as a “unified web3” vision. This is ZK Tech’s third wager following the purchase of Hermez and Mir in 2021.Â
Broader Implications for Polygon’s Ecosystem
The companies’ long-standing collaboration is also due to their shared work on a Type 1 zkEVM prover. Any Ethereum Virtual Machine compliant network can switch to ZK-proof-based chains with Type 1 zkEVM provers, which enhances operability and connectivity with the ETH mainnet.Â
By acquiring Toposware, the Polygon proof-of-stake (PoS) network will also become a part of the AggLayer. This decentralized protocol enhances cross-chain interoperability by combining a ZK mechanism with a cryptocurrency bridge.
According to Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron, Toposware’s “deep cryptography and zero-knowledge expertise” are ideal for expanding the ecosystem and encouraging additional open-source contributions from the Ethereum community.Â
The industry’s rising demand for ZK technology as an EVM chain scalability mechanism is further supported by the focus on ZK tech. In addition to ZK proof, developers can use optimistic rollups to construct L2 networks.
Technological stacks aim to make all EVM chains more user-friendly for developers and users while maintaining decentralization and security. Experts like Vitalik Buterin, however, have favored ZK tech over hopeful rollups, seeing the former as a more affordable and quicker solution.
