1) It is built on the OP Stack Codebase but does not belong to the OP Superchain camp? 2) It belongs to the OP-Rollup chain but does not highlight fraud proofs, with a strong ZK imprint from the name to the technical details? 3) Clearly unrelated to the AVS security consensus mechanism yet gave $Eigen stakers an airdrop, etc. Next, let me briefly explain my understanding of the Zircuit chain:

1) The OP Stack clearly provides a foundational technical framework for quickly launching layer 2 solutions, but many chains, including Metis, Mantle, and Zircuit, have used the OP Stack’s codebase technology framework without being incorporated into the strategic route of Superchain.

The reason is simple: although the Super Chain will enjoy the resource benefits of the OP Super Alliance, it will also be limited in terms of technical autonomy and flexibility, such as fraud proofs. Many layer 2 solutions in the OP Stack camp have not fully launched their Fraud Proof systems to date, and the correlation between their choice of framework dependency and neglect of autonomous development is significant.

Zircuit is a typical example. Although it is marked as OP-Rollup Type on L2beat, its overall technical architecture and brand tone give a strong impression of ZK perception, and many people categorize it into the ZK-Rollup category.

The preference for the ZK technology framework mainly stems from the fact that the support of ZK technology can make the OP-Rollup framework more reliable. After all, an OP-Rollup that operates without real Fraud Proof is hard to be considered a secure and reliable chain. However, with the ZK Proof system, the trust environment for state changes built on ZK technology can effectively compensate for its shortcomings in optimistic challenge proofs. Therefore, in a strict sense, it should be classified as a hybrid Rollup.

In fact, the architectural design of this type of hybrid Rollup is not new, and is also part of the cutting-edge layer 2. @MetisL2Based on this, it emphasizes differentiation by providing users with a fast withdrawal exit channel through the ZK-Rollup Router, without having to wait for the 7-day challenge period.

2) Recently, Vitalik praised Starknet’s performance in optimizing Blob Gas pricing mechanisms and block state compression. This is actually another optimization direction that layer 2 needs to enhance after improving cross-chain interoperability: enhancing its own data structure and performance processing details.

As the future upgrade path of the Ethereum mainnet will lean towards the lightweight ZK-SNARKs, if Layer 2 chains can proficiently apply ZK technology at the foundational level, with enhancements in data structure, state compression, and message transmission, they will be closer to the future Rollup-Centric grand strategic direction.

Therefore, as a rising star, Zircuit made several technical optimizations in terms of details right from the beginning of its blockchain.

1. Sequencer Level Security Enhancement (SLS): Many layer 2 chains suffer from issues such as Sequencer centralization and MEV, which have hindered the stable development of financial applications like DeFi in the layer 2 environment.

In light of this, Zircuit has innovatively designed a preventive security architecture for the Sequencer, where transactions are monitored for malicious activities while in the Mempool. Malicious transactions are subjected to an isolation layer that includes multiple release conditions, ensuring that normal transactions are executed smoothly and safely. This method of incorporating a layer of security pre-checks in the Sequencer component can identify potential MEV behaviors, providing a fairer execution environment for DeFi applications.

2. Modular Proof System: The ZK-Rollup paradigm of layer2 chains has a significant advantage in Finality compared to OP-Rollup chains. However, it also incurs additional costs for computing, generating, and verifying proofs. These costs are not covered by the reduction of layer2 Gas through Blobs blocks on the mainnet, so ZK-Rollup layer2 needs to find ways to reduce ZK Proofs expenses.

In response to this, ZIrcuit has adopted two paths, Template Proofs and Proof Aggregation, to optimize costs: Template Proofs are a transitional solution that uses simplified proof templates to maintain the verification of state updates without having to generate complete proofs for each batch to reduce costs; Proof Aggregation collects multiple unverified proof tasks and generates proofs in parallel through specific circuits and general circuits, ultimately aggregating these proofs into a single proof for final unified verification.

Clearly, this setup of specific proprietary circuits to adapt to different proof types in the Proof system can significantly reduce the costs of generating and verifying ZK proofs. This is similar to Starknet adopting the STARK system and zkSync adopting recursive systems, which can effectively reduce ZK overhead.

3. AI-Enabled Layer 2: As a newer Layer 2 chain, Zircuit is naturally suited for the integration of AI elements such as AI model inference and AI agents. This is reflected in the AI model in the SLS sorter analyzing suspicious transactions, automating the isolation or suspension of protocols in special cases, and so on.

Above.

As for why Zircuit wants to collaborate @EigenlayerAirdrops are difficult to evaluate purely from a technical perspective; I prefer to understand this as Zircuit’s strategic support for Eigenlayer in terms of enhancing the security of Ethereum AVS.

From a broader perspective, AVS as a fast and secure consensus infrastructure may help Zircuit’s SSL system quickly integrate into other layer 2 ecosystems at some point.

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