Vitalik Buterin talks ways to make zk proofs more efficient

Binius operates over binary code and is designed to store information using bits

share

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has released a new blog post discussing a new cryptographic proving system that can make zero-knowledge proofs more efficient.

The proving system, called Binius, is designed to operate directly over binary code on computers. Binary code is a language understood by computers, and it is used to store information and represents data using the symbols zero and one, otherwise known as bits. 

Although there are some similarities between STARKs and Binius, Buterin explains that the mathematical tricks that enable these different proving systems are very different. 

Generally speaking, STARKs is a technology that has enabled complicated statements to be easily cryptographically verified. It is designed in a way that can easily compute numbers when they are of small value, when there are large values, STARKs generate extra values, which can lead to inefficiency. 

Unlike STARKs that “arithmetize” a statement into a polynomial equation — a mathematical expression which model a relationship between variables in a block — Binius treats data as a hypercube and grid, and uses multilinear polynomials to perform cryptographic proofs.

Loading Tweet..

Binius converts individual values into bits and places them in a hypercube and a square. This hypercube is then converted into a grid and computations are performed in order to receive an output matrix. 

A verifier will then perform its own computational calculations to ensure that the information itself matches and ensure that the compute columns returns a value claimed by the prover.

“I highly encourage people to understand and explore! Lots of innovations have been happening in ZK-proving recently. And I expect lots more to come soon,” Buterin wrote in an X post.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Research Report Templates (2).png

Research

Uniswap confronts structural headwinds as Ethereum's dominance in DEX volume erodes while Solana emerges as the leading ecosystem. Despite massive historical volume, UNI token holders receive no revenue distribution after four years of operation, while multi-chain expansion efforts consistently underperform due to subsidized local competitors. Recent initiatives including Unichain L2 and V4 protocol upgrades have failed to generate meaningful organic adoption despite substantial incentive programs, highlighting the challenge of competing in increasingly fragmented markets without sustainable value accrual mechanisms.

article-image

Why nobody can ever truly “win” Bitcoin mining

article-image

Privy said it would still operate as an “independent product” despite the acquisition

article-image

Franklin Templeton’s Roger Bayston tells Blockworks that stablecoins and market funds ‘complement’ each other

article-image

Analysts are lowering their earnings estimates for Big Tech, while BTC continues to outperform top names

article-image

The updates could set the Solana ETFs on a path to approval within the next few months

article-image

Could the mobile-first platform give Courtyard a run for its money?