Polygon Labs, a major developer of Ethereum Layer-2 networks, shared Tuesday that it is unveiling a new type of computer chip optimized for zero-knowledge cryptography processing, built specifically by hardware maker Fabric. for Polygon’s interoperability solution, AggLayer.
The news comes as Fabric announced last month a $33 million Series A round, in which Polygon Labs participated, to create “verifiable processing units” or VPUs, a custom chip designed for cryptography and blockchains.
The ZK team at Polygon worked with Fabric to create VPUs for its prover libraries, Plonky2 and Plonky3. Provers are a key part of blockchain systems built around zero-knowledge cryptography, which emerged last year as one of the crypto industry’s most popular design features, and a key focus for Polygon.
The AggLayer is a Polygon project to make token transfers seamless between connected blockchain networks.
“As the newest contributor to AggLayer, Fabric will work closely with Polygon Labs to accelerate AggLayer’s roadmap by developing software to run Plonky2 and Plonky3 on the VPU, and Polygon Labs will work closely with Fabric to ensure that future generations of the VPU will accelerate AggLayer’s performance roadmap for the long term,” Polygon wrote in their press release.
The team also shared that Polygon Labs will acquire $5 million worth of VPU-based server systems as part of today’s announcement to accelerate ZK-proof generation projects on the AggLayer.
“Fabric’s VPUs can accelerate the timeline for broader adoption of zero-knowledge technology from three to five years to six to 12 months,” Polygon co-founder Mihailo Bjelic said in the press release shared with CoinDesk. “For Polygon Labs, the implementation of this technology will dramatically accelerate the development of the AggLayer, delivering real-time, affordable evidence that no one thought would come for years, and much lower evidence costs than previously thought possible in the medium term .”
Read more: Fabric, startup building ‘VPU’ chips for cryptography, raises $33 million
