Microsoft Research launches Magnetar to speed zero-knowledge proofs 10–39x
Microsoft Research introduced Magnetar on October 15. The system targets the bottleneck of zero-knowledge proof generation using a virtual machine designed to prove ordinary program execution while relying on standard hash-based cryptography.
What Magnetar Does
Magnetar proves execution of compiled code from Rust, Go and C. It uses standard hash functions to construct proofs, which reduces reliance on cryptography that is more exposed to future quantum attacks.
Performance Claims
Across Microsoft’s benchmarks, Magnetar’s prover ran 10 to 39 times faster on average than selected comparable proving systems. Verification time measured about 12 milliseconds in Microsoft’s tests.
Implications for Blockchains
Lower proving costs can expand practical uses of verifiable offchain computation and more complex application logic in blockchain environments. Actual gains depend on integration choices, available hardware and proof size constraints inside production rollups and smart-contract workloads.
Broader Applications
Institutions and AI agents could attach cryptographic proofs to software execution to demonstrate that instructions were followed without exposing private data. Real-world impact depends on implementation beyond the laboratory.
Authors credited by the source: NewsBTC Editorial Team
Published by Holder based on an external source.
