Vitalik Buterin, a co-founder of Ethereum, has talked about a new cryptographic proofing method that seeks to increase the efficiency of zero-knowledge proofs.
Buterin described "Binius," a method for highly efficient cryptographic proofs over binary fields, in a blog post on April 29. Its goal is to provide notable improvements in performance over conventional proof systems like zk-SNARKs.
By doing calculations directly over individual binary bits, or zeros and ones, rather than larger integers, Binius seeks to increase efficiency.
The system is inspired by classic cryptographic proof methods that operate with larger integers, such as 64-bit or 256-bit ones, such as SNARKs (Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge) and STARKs (Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge).
Small quantities like counters, indexes, and boolean flags frequently make up the underlying data being processed; however, Buterin claimed that Binius can handle this data more quickly by working directly with bits.
Buterin claims that the new proving method has advantages such employing binary "finite fields" to enable effective arithmetic operations on bits and bit sequences, and representing data as a multidimensional "hypercube" of bits.
Additionally, it uses a unique encoding and decoding procedure that preserves the efficiency advantages of working in binary while transforming the bit-level data into a format appropriate for "polynomial" processing and Merkle proofs.
The binary system makes major advancements in the fundamental arithmetic of cryptographic proof systems, increasing the scalability and efficiency of complicated crypto applications.
The phrase "zero knowledge" comes from the fact that polynomials are frequently employed in zk-proofs to encapsulate data and calculations in a way that permits proof verification without disclosing the underlying information.
Buterin used sophisticated mathematical techniques outside the purview of this paper to illustrate how the Binius protocol encrypts data, produces proofs, and enables verifiers to quickly and effectively examine those proofs.
The idea was first put up in a 2023 whitepaper titled "Succinct Arguments over Towers of Binary Fields" by cryptographers Jim Posen and Benjamin E. Diamond.
All things considered, Binius seeks to significantly outperform more conventional proof systems in terms of speed, particularly for calculations involving small values and bit-level operations.
Buterin said, "I anticipate many more advancements in binary-field-based proving techniques in the months to come."
May 2024, Cryptoniteuae