Introduction
A new protocol, known as proto-danksharding, could potentially reduce the costs of Ethereum roll ups by 10 times, according to Nicolas Liochon, the head of Consensys' zkEVM Linea project. Liochon spoke exclusively to Cointelegraph Magazine during Korea Blockchain Week, highlighting the potential impact of this protocol on the Ethereum ecosystem.
Reducing Roll Up Costs
Proto-danksharding, also referred to as EIP-4844, aims to lower the costs associated with roll ups. Roll ups are a technique that batch transactions and data off-chain, submitting only a computational proof to the Ethereum blockchain. This reduces the strain on the network and allows for more efficient and scalable processing of transactions.
Launch Details and Testing
While the Ethereum Foundation has not provided an expected launch date for proto-danksharding, development and testing are currently underway. The protocol is still in its early stages and further refinements may be necessary before it can be implemented on a wider scale.
Data Availability as the Key Cost
According to Liochon, the major cost associated with roll ups is data availability. Currently, all the data is written to Ethereum's layer one, which is stored on the blockchain indefinitely. This is an expensive process, accounting for around 95% of the overall cost. Proto-danksharding will introduce data blocks that can be sent and attached to blocks, reducing the need for storing data on-chain and significantly lowering transaction costs.
Challenges for ZK-rollups
ZK-rollups, the scaling solution that utilizes zero-knowledge proofs, face challenges in becoming the preferred choice for Ethereum scalability. Linea, the project led by Liochon, is aiming to address these challenges and become a versatile ZK-rollup solution for the Ethereum ecosystem.
Linea's Impact in the Ethereum Ecosystem
Consensys' Linea project was launched in August 2023 and has already gained significant traction. It has onboarded over 150 partners and facilitated the bridging of more than $26 million in ETH. Linea aims to be a general-use ZK-rollup solution, providing a scalable and efficient option for a variety of decentralized applications within the Ethereum ecosystem.
Conclusion
The development of proto-danksharding represents a promising step towards reducing the costs of Ethereum roll ups. By addressing the issue of data availability, this new protocol could significantly enhance scalability and efficiency within the Ethereum ecosystem.
