Cross-chain bridges, crucial for interoperability, often suffer from security risks due to reliance on multi-signature schemes or centralized validators, exposing them to potential hacks and fraud.
This is the total amount allocated to zkFold x Anastasia Labs: ZK Bridge using Mithril.
NB: Monthly reporting was deprecated from January 2024 and replaced fully by the Milestones Program framework. Learn more here
Anastasia Labs
To solve these issues, we will develop a secure ZK bridge using Mithril signatures to verify transactions on Cardano, thus enabling transfers between isomorphic Cardano-like blockchains.
No dependencies.
MIT license. The code and all other outputs will be available on GitHub.
N/A
To enhance transparency and security and reduce costs in the development of blockchain bridges on Cardano, we propose a bridge construction that uses Mithril signatures.
To keep the scope of this proposal realistic, we will only implement the bridging contract for Cardano, thus enabling transfers between isomorphic Cardano-like blockchains.
At the very least, the solution consists of the following components:
Besides the obvious utility for blockchain users, the ZK bridge can help monetize running Mithril signers, enabling other Mithril use cases.
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By leveraging open source collaboration, this solution will boost the security and functionality of the Cardano blockchain bridges. It will also foster the ecosystem of developers committed to advancing blockchain technology.
ZK bridges enable the secure transfer of assets between smart contract blockchains.
By completing this project, we will enable the simple creation of isomorphic Cardano-like sidechains that will have a positive impact on Cardano's scalability.
Mithril signature verification circuits are of independent value. They enable other use cases besides bridges, such as efficient on-chain voting.
Finally, this proposal is open-source. The outputs will be available for use by the whole Cardano developer community.
ZKFold is the company that works on L1 and L2 scaling for Cardano using zero-knowledge proofs. It aims to release the first version of zkFold Symbolic (the zero-knowledge smart contract language) in Q3 2024. The zkFold team consists of expert Haskell, Rust, and ZKP developers. The founder of zkFold, Vladimir Sinyakov, previously completed a Project Catalyst Fund 6 grant leading the ENCOINS team. ENCOINS is a DApp on Cardano that has been recently launched on the mainnet. Also, zkFold is consistently delivering Fund 11 proposals' milestones.
Anastasia Labs is a research and development firm specializing in DApp development on Cardano. The team has made significant open-source contributions to the Cardano ecosystem; and has identified and resolved a large number of vulnerabilities in open-source code and smart contracts throughout the ecosystem. The team has a vast wealth of experience in the domain of smart contract security, advanced design patterns and production DApp development. Recently, the team has concentrated their efforts on the design and implementation of effective zero-knowledge proof applications within the Cardano ecosystem. The CEO and co-founder of Anastasia Labs, Philip DiSarro, has completed a number of Catalyst grants including Discovery (SundaeSwap Liquidity Bootstrap Mechanism) which recently launched on mainnet with overwhelmingly positive reception.
Create documentation
Generate zero knowledge circuits for Mithril signature verification
Build a bridge smart contract prototype (in zkFold Symbolic)
Create a modified version of Mithril signer
Create the signature aggregation backend component
Complete bridge smart contract
The zkFold team consists of expert Haskell, Rust, and ZKP developers. ZKFold's team members participated in the development of several successful projects on different blockchains, including Cardano, Polkadot, and Near. The zkFold team won the EMURGO BUILD Hackathon on the zero-knowledge track and took 3rd place in the Battle of the Builders at the Cardano Summit 2023 in Dubai. Also, zkFold's Fund 11 proposals have been accepted by the community.
zkFold
Vladimir Sinyakov
Founder and CTO,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimir-sinyakov/
Founder and protocol architect of ENCOINS. Ph.D. in Computational Mathematics. Prior experience includes five years of postdoc in applied mathematics (Control Theory), publishing in top journals in the field. Previously completed a Project Catalyst Fund 6 grant leading the ENCOINS team. ENCOINS is a DApp on Cardano that has been recently launched on the mainnet.
Stanislav Marycev
Co-founder, Business Development.Â
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanislav-marycev/
Bachelor degree in Business Management. Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate (CBCA). PMP and agile professional with 12+ years of experience in worldwide IT and blockchain projects. Stanislav has experience in leading multicultural international teams (30+ countries) and working closely with top level stakeholders in finance.
Ilya Eriklintsev
ZKP researcher,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilya-eriklintsev-3a296852/
Techlead at vSelf, an SSI solution on NEAR blockchain. More than six years of experience in the blockchain industry. Former researcher in Computational Fluid Dynamics.
Eitan Chatav
Developer
PhD in mathematics, expert in advanced mathematics and physics; probability and statistics, algebra, real and complex analysis. 5+ years of experience with blockchain, NFT, Haskell
Vladimir Morozov
Developer
B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, PhD in Computational Biology. 6+ years of experience with Haskell and Python
Anastasia Labs
Philip DiSarro
Co-founder and CEO,
MS in Compiler Engineering. Expert in smart contract development and security. Completed numerous Project Catalyst Grants and brought multiple applications to the Cardano mainnet.
Jonathan Rodriguez
Co-founder and CTO,
B.Sc. in Robotics and Computer Science, along with a DevOps Architect certificate from the University of Toronto. With over 6 years of experience in blockchain technology, serving as a smart contract architect and conducting audits for high TVL projects within the Cardano ecosystem. Additionally, offering Web3 consulting services at Emurgo.
Documentation and project management: 66,000 ADA
1 technical writer @ $3,000 per month for 5 months = $15,000 (~32,000 ADA)
1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $6,000 (~13,000 ADA)
1 project manager @ $2,000 per month for 5 months = $10,000 (~21,000 ADA)
Generate zero knowledge circuits for Mithril signature verification: 160,000 ADA
3 software developers @ $3,000 per month for 6 months = $54,000 (~115,000 ADA)
1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 5 months = $15,000 (~32,000 ADA)
1 ZKP researcher @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $6,000 (~13,000 ADA)
Build a bridge smart contract prototype (in zkFold Symbolic): 172,000 ADA
3 software developers @ $3,000 per month for 6 months = $54,000 (~115,000 ADA)
3 software developers @ $3,000 per month for 3 months = $27,000 (~57,000 ADA)
Create a modified version of Mithril signer: 45,000 ADA
1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 4 months = $12,000 (~26,000 ADA)
1 ZKP researcher @ $3,000 per month for 3 months = $9,000 (~19,000 ADA)
Create the signature aggregation backend component: 38,000 ADA
1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 4 months = $12,000 (~25,000 ADA)
1 ZKP researcher @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $6,000 (~13,000 ADA)
Complete bridge smart contract: 19,000 ADA
1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 3 months = $9,000 (~19,000 ADA)
Total: $235,000 = ~ 500,000 ADA
The project requires a deep understanding of Cardano smart contracts and blockchain backend infrastructure, as well as expertise in zero-knowledge cryptographic protocols. As we pay competitive salaries to our developers and researchers, we've arrived at the budget breakdown above.
Interoperability is crucial to the success of our ecosystem. Even more so now with partner chains on the horizon. The most critical component of secure blockchain interoperability is a bridge. The construction of a secure bridge is a very difficult undertaking and perhaps one of the hardest problems in the space at large. However, by taking advantage of the years of research and work that went into the Mithril project, we are able to produce this bridge at a fraction of the cost of similar systems.