StarkWare Unveils New ZKP Prover

The StarkWare team, developers of the Ethereum Layer 2 network StarkNet, has announced the launch of a new zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) verification tool named Stwo.

This is Stwo-good-to-be-true!

We are proud to announce: Stwo, our next-gen Circle-STARK-based prover✨

Stwo will be built based on the recent mathematical advancement of Circle-STARKs to create super efficient and fast proofs. Yep, that means super scaling✨

This trail-blazing… pic.twitter.com/45TpNLoow4

— StarkWare (@StarkWareLtd) February 29, 2024

According to the announcement, Stwo is an implementation of the Circle STARK protocol developed in collaboration with Polygon Labs.

The solution is initially an open-source product under the Apache 2.0 license.

StarkWare described Stwo as a “super-fast verification tool” for ZKP.

“The incredibly fast open-source Stwo program will provide StarkNet developers with an optimized verification experience on all fronts. And yes, this will lead to cheaper transactions for users,” the developers stated.

According to them, the new prover emerged from theoretical work initiated about two years ago. StarkWare specialists then decided to adapt the classic STARK protocol to two main cryptographic curves: secp256k1 and secp256r1. Their goal was to bypass limitations on the use of smaller prime fields, which reduced efficiency.

In a comment to The Block during the ETHDenver conference, StarkWare representatives stated that Stwo will enable “super-efficient” proofs, reducing delays and processing costs. 

The team believes this should lead to lower transaction fees and remove limitations in the existing Stone prover.

In February, StarkNet developers from Herodotus, in partnership with StarkWare, introduced the Cairo Verifier—a cryptographic proof verification system for scaling L3 networks.