LayerZero releases Akita: the first lattice-based post-quantum commitment scheme

TLDR: Core Points

What breakthroughs has Akita brought to zero-knowledge proof? The deployment of Jolt marks the beginning of post-quantum computing progress. Akita is LayerZero's first post-quantum commitment scheme based on lattice cryptography for production environments, specifically for zero-knowledge proofs. After the introduction of Akita, the certificate file size has been reduced to 65-80KB, which is two to eight times smaller in size compared to the hash-based post-quantum scheme. Applying Akita in Jolt can increase certification speed by two to three times and reduce memory footprint by about half. Akita uses NIST standard lattice cryptography technology, which is an important early step towards a full-link quantum security zero-knowledge stack.

How Akita enhances the zero-knowledge proof system

Akita is a polynomial commitment scheme, which is the core component of the zero-knowledge proof system and is responsible for locking and proving the correctness of the calculation trajectory. LayerZero said that replacing this component with a quantum-secure version can protect the security of the entire proof stack. Currently, other parts of the proof stack are already information-theory secure.

Akita is positioned as the first post-quantum commitment scheme based on lattice cryptography for production environments. It is the first major measure to achieve quantum security for Zero Chain, and will be integrated and deployed on the first day of launch of the Jolt virtual machine through cooperation with a16z crypto.

Akita's design is based on lattice cryptography, using the same mathematical category selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for post-quantum encryption and signature. The standard is currently being gradually promoted to protect encrypted Internet traffic. LayerZero sees Akita as an extension of a broader transformation trend in trellis cryptography.

Compared with existing post-quantum proof methods, Akita's performance is better. LayerZero pointed out that hash-based schemes usually produce a certificate file of 200 KB or larger, while the certificate generated by Akita is only 65 KB to 80 KB in size, which reduces the size by 2 to 8 times depending on the specific application scenario.

In addition, Akita also improves proof speed and memory efficiency. LayerZero said that using Akita for proof is two to three times faster than Jolt's current performance. Memory footprint is reduced by about half, and Akita requires only sub-linear additional memory in addition to the storage polynomial itself.

Jolt deployment highlights early advances in post-quantum computing

LayerZero points out two mature paths to post-quantum proof: hash-based solutions and lattice-based solutions. In recent years, hash-based methods have been extensively developed. However, the company believes that the lattice-based assumption has additional advantages, including a smaller proof size and stronger performance under sparse workloads.

Akita is seen as the first committed solution to bring grid-based security into a production-level zero-knowledge proof system. LayerZero also said that lattice-based methods are easier to integrate with the broader post-quantum Internet ecosystem. In the announcement, the company emphasized that Akita is a key step towards achieving Zero quantum security. Through its partnership with a16z crypto, Akita will be built into Jolt from day one.

Jolt is a zero-knowledge virtual machine co-developed with a16z crypto that will host Akita's first large-scale deployment. This integration allows Jolt to combine post-quantum security, smaller proof size, and faster proof generation speeds. LayerZero claims that this is currently the fastest production-level zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) that provides quantum resistance.

The company described this update as one of several steps in its pre-launch plan for zero-network mainline. LayerZero defines Akita as an early step towards a fully quantum-secure Zero stack and said there is still further work to be done in the future. As development moves towards the main network and beyond, the company will continue to introduce other post-quantum upgrade measures.

Akita remains open source, and LayerZero points out that any proof system can adopt this solution. The complete technical paper and implementation code have been made public on GitHub for further review.