Vitalik Buterin has responded to Succinct Labs’ recent breakthrough in real-time zkVM proving, highlighting Ethereum’s ambitious goal to raise the Layer 1 gas limit by 10 to 100 times.
His remarks followed co-founder Uma Roy’s demo showcasing the zkVM system powering full execution layer proofs. Addressing skepticism from an X user, Buterin acknowledged the significance of this milestone and its potential to greatly enhance Ethereum’s scalability at the base layer.
1. This is average case, not worst case. We need real-time worst case for safe L1 use
2. Not formally verified
3. ~100 kW to prove. Proving is a 1-of-n trust model, but even still, perhaps we want proving doable at home (~10 kW)
4. We wanna 10-100x the L1 gaslimitSo, truly…
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) May 21, 2025
While praising Succinct Labs for their progress, Buterin also pointed out four critical challenges that both the project and the wider Ethereum network must overcome to make real-time zkVM proving a reliable feature on Layer 1. He remarked,
“So, truly amazing work by @pumatheuma and team, but definitely still a few steps to the final destination.”
One key issue Buterin raised was that Succinct Labs’ demo was based on average-case performance rather than worst-case scenarios. He stressed the importance of rigorous testing under worst-case conditions to guarantee the proving mechanism’s security and dependability for broad Layer 1 deployment.
Additionally, Buterin revealed that Ethereum’s current average gas limit, which stands at 35.99 million according to YCharts data, is slated for a significant increase, with the team aiming to “10-100x the L1 gas limit.” This expansion could unlock far greater transaction throughput on the network.
However, Buterin also noted that Succinct’s proving mechanism still lacks formal verification, a critical step to assure users of its seamless operation and minimal bugs. Moreover, the real-time proving process requires about 100 kilowatts of power to maintain the demonstrated speed, indicating room for optimization.
Meanwhile, Succinct Labs, known as an AI startup, is making waves beyond proving technology with its new PROVE token. According to a recent blog post, the PROVE token forms part of a broader strategy to create a zero-knowledge-proof-powered protocol aimed at accelerating and simplifying legal contract analysis and verification.
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