Deep Dive
1. Prover API & TEE Proofs (September 2024)
Overview: ZKsync introduced a decentralized Prover API and Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) proofs to enhance security and decentralize proof generation.
The Prover API allows third-party developers to generate and verify ZK proofs, while TEE proofs add hardware-based security layers. This dual-proof system ensures transaction validity without relying solely on cryptographic assumptions.
What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it strengthens network security and decentralizes critical infrastructure, reducing single points of failure. Users benefit from more resilient transaction validation.
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2. Atlas Upgrade (October 2025)
Overview: The Atlas upgrade introduced modular ZK architecture, enabling developers to customize chains with shared Ethereum liquidity and sub-second finality.
Key features include Airbender (a new proof system) and a high-performance sequencer processing 25k–30k TPS. The upgrade also unified liquidity across ZKsync chains, reducing fragmentation.
What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it lowers fees, accelerates cross-chain transactions, and attracts institutional use cases like tokenized assets. Developers gain flexible tooling for specialized chains.
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3. Security Council Protocol Fix (August 2025)
Overview: ZKsync’s Security Council resolved a protocol vulnerability via an emergency upgrade, leveraging its multi-layered defense architecture.
The issue was patched without compromising user funds, and a post-mortem analysis was shared transparently.
What this means: This is neutral for ZKsync—it demonstrates robust crisis response but highlights ongoing security risks inherent in complex systems. Users retain confidence in the protocol’s resilience.
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4. Gas Fee Optimization (May 2025)
Overview: ZKsync reduced zkSNARK verification gas costs by 94% (from ~6.8M to 370k gas) via optimized elliptic curve precompilation and ModExp integration.
This upgrade automatically applied to existing contracts, requiring no developer action.
What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it makes on-chain applications cheaper to operate, attracting more developers and users seeking cost-efficient scaling.
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Conclusion
ZKsync’s codebase evolution prioritizes security, scalability, and usability—key drivers for institutional adoption and ecosystem growth. With modular architecture and economic incentives aligning token utility, how will these upgrades impact its position against competing L2s like Arbitrum and Optimism?