Polygon and Fabric team up to fast-track ZK-proof adoption on AggLayer

Polygon Labs, a development company focused on building the Polygon ecosystem, has partnered with startup Fabric Cryptography to further zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) adoption on the AggLayer.

The AggLayer is Polygon’s aggregation layer, designed to improve scalability and interoperability through ZKP technology.

According to a press release shared with Cointelegraph, the collaboration will oversee the integration of Fabric’s Verifiable Processing Units (VPUs) into Polygon’s AggLayer.

These VPUs are silicon chips that enable any cryptographic algorithm to be broken down into its mathematical building blocks.

Related: Polygon’s MATIC upgraded to POL, driving ‘hyperproductive’ token utility

User and developer implications

In a Q&A with Cointelegraph, Mihailo Bjelic, co-founder of Polygon, explained that the integration of VPUs will “significantly speed up the timeline” for ZKPs “within the AggLayer.”

“What would’ve taken 3-5 years can now happen in just 6-12 months.“ 

According to Bjelic, VPU technology is set to improve the experience for both users and developers, offering “faster, cheaper, and more secure blockchain transactions.”

“Imagine being able to move between blockchains as easily as browsing between websites, with transactions happening almost instantly and at a fraction of the cost."

Regarding developer utility, Bjelic said they could incorporate the ZKPs into their applications “much more efficiently.”

“With Polygon’s Plonky2 and Plonky3 systems running on this custom hardware, proof generation becomes significantly faster and more cost-effective.”

Related: Cryptography startup Fabric raises $33M for new data privacy chip

ZK tech impact on DeFi

The partnership is expected to have implications for decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption, as evidenced by Bjelic, stating that “ZK tech is vital for making DeFi truly global.”

The co-founder explained that ZK tech solves blockchain tech’s scalability and security concerns by “allowing chains to securely verify transactions without long waiting periods.”

“By enabling instant, cross-chain transaction verification, ZK technology ensures that blockchains can work together seamlessly, helping to unify liquidity and drive DeFi adoption worldwide.”

Related: AggLayer will connect all Web3, including L1s like Ether and Solana — Polygon Labs CEO

Recent hack hurdles

Despite the advancements through VPU integration, Polygon’s ecosystem has faced recent challenges in its security  since its Discord channel was hacked.

Mudit Gupta, Polygon’s chief information security officer, confirmed the breach and reassured users that privileged accounts had two-factor authentication enabled.

The incident revealed ongoing vulnerabilities as the AggLayer prepares for a network upgrade, including a token transition from MATIC to the newly established POL.

Magazine: Help! My parents are addicted to Pi Network crypto tapper