A Round-up Guide to Rollup Execution with zkEVM, Alt VM & Parallel EVMs

The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) has always been a pioneering force in the blockchain world, serving as the backbone for the execution of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Despite its success, the EVM is not without its limitations, which has led to the innovation of new virtual machines aimed at addressing these challenges. This article delves into three critical advancements in the realm of virtual machines: zkEVM, Alt VM, and parallel EVM execution, exploring their core concepts, advantages, and the projects leveraging them.

Briefing the Virtual Machines (VMs)

Virtual machines are the core engines powering blockchain ecosystems, enabling the seamless execution of smart contracts and transaction processing within dApps. VMs provide a blockchain network with a well-defined application-level logic, which includes the network’s state, transaction functions, and APIs for user interaction. The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is a highly decentralized, deterministic, and Turing-complete VM that powers the Ethereum ecosystem and a wide array of Ethereum-based dApps. However, ongoing innovations have led to the creation of multiple alternative VMs and parallel EVMs such as Solana VM, Move VM, Polygon zkEVM, and zkSync 2.0. These new-age virtual machines are designed to overcome EVM’s challenges, offering benefits like enhanced throughput, cost efficiency, and robust execution environments.

zkEVM, Alt VM & Parallel EVMs: The Future of Scalable and Secure Execution

zkEVM, or zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine, is a zero-knowledge-powered VM that enables the execution of smart contracts with full compatibility with zk-proof computations and the existing Ethereum ecosystem. zkEVM replicates the native Ethereum environment to provide a similar execution experience for developers, but with improved scalability and security through Layer 2 solutions using zero-knowledge proof technology. Depending on the design, zkEVM can be categorized into several types, from fully Ethereum-equivalent (Type-1) to high-level-language equivalent (Type-4).

Key Advantages of zkEVM:

1. Enhanced Scalability: By leveraging zero-knowledge proofs, zkEVM can handle massive transaction volumes while submitting condensed proofs to the Layer 1 mainnet, reducing network fees and congestion.
2. Security: Zero-knowledge proofs offer advanced cryptographic validation, ensuring data and system integrity without revealing additional information.
3. Ethereum-Compatibility: zkEVM maintains full compatibility with Ethereum, allowing developers to use existing tools and frameworks and migrate dApps seamlessly.
4. Fast Finality: zkProofs enable instant finality by producing validity proofs for blocks immediately, eliminating the need for a challenge period.

Prominent Projects Utilizing zkEVM:

• Polygon zkEVM: A Type-3 zk-powered scaling solution offering EVM equivalence, low-cost transactions, and high performance with advanced proofs like recursive STARK and zkSNARK.
• zkSync zkEVM: A Type-4 zkEVM optimized to work with its own custom VM, eraVM, providing high security, cost efficiency, and excellent UX for NFTs.
• Taiko: A Type-1 zkEVM that is fully Ethereum-compatible, allowing developers to leverage enhanced scalability without modifying their dApps.
• Starknet: A zk-rollup EVM solution using STARK technology, offering unlimited scalability, low-cost transactions, and robust security with native account abstraction.
• Scroll: An EVM-compatible, trust-minimized, and fully open-source Type-3 zkEVM focused on network security and long-term decentralized and EVM-compatibility.

Alternative VMs (AltVMs):

Alternative VMs (AltVMs) are emerging as sovereign L1/L2 chains and rollups seek better execution environments offering improved scalability, performance, and modularity beyond Ethereum’s EVM. AltVMs do not aim to replace EVM but to complement it with next-generation VM technology that allows developers to experiment and benefit from Ethereum compatibility.

Noteworthy Alternative VMs:

• Avalanche Virtual Machine (AVM): A built-in VM for the Avalanche Network, providing a powerful application layer for smart asset trading and creation with support for multiple programming languages.
• Move VM: An EVM-compatible VM from Movement Labs that offers formal verification, better scalability, and robust security for smart contracts.
• Ethereum WebAssembly (eWasm): A redesigned execution layer based on WebAssembly, enhancing Ethereum’s capability with near-native execution speed and ease of development in popular languages.
• Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM): A WASM-based execution environment supporting IPLD data, combining smart contracts with verifiable storage for web-scale applications.
• Nervos’ CKB-VM: An Ethereum-compatible VM using RISC-V instructions, offering a mature and standard VM for executing complex operations like zk-SNARKs, Schnorr, and BLS.

Benefits of AltVMs:

1. High Performance: AltVMs like Move VM and Avalanche VM offer superior performance and scalability compared to traditional EVM chains.
2. Robust Security: Advanced mechanisms in AltVMs ensure network security, such as Move VM’s block STM pattern for superior parallelization and transaction threading.
3. EVM Compatibility & VM Agnosticism: AltVMs are designed to be VM-agnostic, supporting a wide variety of VMs while maintaining a focus on EVM compatibility.

Parallel EVM Execution:

Parallel EVMs address the scalability and performance challenges of traditional VMs by allowing multiple smart contracts to be processed simultaneously. This parallelization significantly increases throughput and reduces gas fees, making blockchain networks more economical and accessible.

Top Projects Implementing Parallel EVM Execution:

• Solana Virtual Machine (SVM): A parallel execution-powered environment for Solana network transactions, providing high performance with low costs.
• Sei v2: A Layer 1 blockchain offering parallelized EVM, combining the strengths of Ethereum and Solana ecosystems for high-speed transaction processing.
• Monad: A smart contract environment using optimistic parallel processing for high-speed dApps with a unique superscalar pipelining mechanism.
• Neon EVM: The first parallelized EVM powered by Solana’s execution environment, offering fast TPS, low costs, and parallel processing.

Advantages of Parallel EVMs:

1. Increased Throughput: Parallel EVM execution dramatically increases throughput, allowing dApps to process more transactions per second.
2. Cost Optimization: Advanced optimization mechanisms reduce gas fees and improve execution efficiency.
3. Enhanced Modularity: Parallel EVM execution separates resource-intensive operations into distinct layers, providing better architectural flexibility for dApp developers.

Conclusion

Virtual machines are the lifeblood of the blockchain space, constantly evolving to meet the rising demands of dApps and addressing the limitations of existing VMs. zkEVM, AltVM, and parallel EVM represent significant advancements, each offering unique benefits in terms of scalability, security, and performance. As the blockchain ecosystem continues to innovate, we can expect further developments in virtual machines that will drive even greater efficiency, interoperability, and flexibility.

If you seek more in-depth information about future-proof virtual machines or EVM, feel free to connect with us. Additionally, Zeeve offers a highly-optimized RaaS platform for setting up fully functional L2s/L3s in a low-code way. Try it yourself and accelerate your project’s time-to-market.