Can Pi Squared become the next generation of verifiable computing paradigm?

The most important factor that determines whether cloud computing can be widely used is its credibility. In the actual application process, all data on cloud computing must be complete, and at the same time, it must have high accuracy during program execution, so that the application scope of cloud computing can be effectively broadened. In addition, cloud computing protocols can determine all feedback results in the server, and the remote server does not need to re-operate the relevant programs. In recent years, verifiable computing has received great attention from researchers and has become the main trend in the development of trusted cloud computing.

Pi Squared is led by Grigore Rosu, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The company is dedicated to enabling verifiable computing through zero-knowledge technology. The core concept of Pi Squared comes from Rosu's many years of research in academia. He and his students have explored this technology for many years and finally formed the concept of Pi Squared.

In the view of industry insiders, if Pi Squared succeeds, it will revolutionize verifiable computing. This technology will not only be used in the universal settlement layer (USL) of blockchain and trusted cloud computing, but will also be extended to the field of scientific and knowledge verification. It will be applicable to all languages ​​and virtual machines, and will be inherently correct and high-speed.

It can be said that the application scenarios and value space of Pi Squared are very imaginative.

Before we get to know Pi Squared in depth, it is necessary to first understand several other innovative projects based on ZK technology, as well as their differences and connections with Pi Squared.

01

Competitive product analysis

ZKsync

ZKsync is an Ethereum scaling solution that leverages ZK-rollup technology to achieve high throughput and low transaction fees. It achieves scalability by batching multiple transactions and generating ZK proofs. The main advantage of ZKsync is that its transaction speeds and fees are significantly reduced while maintaining the security of Ethereum.

ZK-native

ZK-native refers to blockchains that use zero-knowledge proof technology from the bottom-level design. These blockchains usually have stronger privacy protection and data compression capabilities, such as StarkNet and Mina Protocol. They ensure the privacy and efficiency of transactions and data by directly integrating ZK technology at the protocol level.

ZK Chain

ZK Chain refers to blockchain systems that use zero-knowledge proof technology as a core component. These systems are generally designed to improve the privacy protection and scalability of blockchains, such as Aztec and Zcash. ZK Chain provides users with strong privacy protection and efficient transaction processing capabilities by utilizing technologies such as ZK-SNARK or ZK-STARK.

The main difference between Pi Squared and the above technologies lies in its universality and verification method. While ZKsync, ZK-native, and ZK Chain all focus on improving the performance and privacy protection of specific blockchains, Pi Squared provides a universal verifiable computing solution for all blockchains, virtual machines, and programming languages ​​through its Universal Settlement Layer (USL). Pi Squared's PoP technology is not only applicable to blockchains, but can also be extended to other computing fields to achieve true ubiquitous computing.

02

USL: Pi Squared's killer feature

Pi Squared’s first product is the Universal Settlement Layer (USL), a modular blockchain architecture with the following core features:

(1) Validity

USL supports computing in any language or virtual machine without the need for a compiler, which means developers can use their familiar programming languages ​​to settle blockchain transactions.

(2) Provable Correctness

USL verifies the correctness of calculations through mathematical proofs, and any external entity can independently verify the correctness of USL states.

(3) Minimization of trust basis

USL transparently exposes the trust assumptions in upper-layer computations, ultimately minimizing the trust basis through correctness proofs, and increasing user trust and transparency.

(4) Application interoperability

USL supports interoperability between different application modules and networks, such as interaction between appchains.

(5) Determinism and repeatability

The verification process of USL is deterministic and can be independently repeated by any external entity.

Pi Squared's USL architecture consists of multiple layers and components, each of which plays an important role in achieving efficient and verifiable computing.

First, the computational layer

The computation layer is at the top of the architecture and is where various languages ​​and virtual machines perform computations. This includes transaction execution engines, fully functional application chains, and execution rollups. Calculations in the computation layer can be very complex, and the environment can implement its own optimizations and parallel processing, and USL does not need to understand how these calculations are performed.

Second, Sequencer Network

The Sequencer Network is responsible for processing transactions between the computation layer and the USL. Sequencers verify and collect transactions into blocks, promoting efficiency and increasing transaction throughput. The Sequencer Network is usually decentralized and runs a consensus algorithm to securely order transactions. The pre-confirmation of the Sequencer Network layer is optimistic and invalid transactions can be revoked after verification by the USL.

Third, the execution layer interface

The execution layer interface sits below the computation layer and enables computation layer systems to communicate with the USL. It accepts "computation transactions", which include transactions, state changes, and transition metadata. The metadata defines the program that performs the computation, a list of trusted entities, and other details.

Fourth, Pi Squared’s USL layer

The USL layer operates as an optimistic rollup, interpreting computational transactions as mathematical statements in logic theory. USL generates mathematical proofs of computational sequences to ensure correctness, and is mainly composed of the π² network and the Prover Pool.

Finally, the π² Network and Prover Pool

The π² network consists of nodes running a consensus protocol that verifies the validity of the post-transaction state. The verification process is transparent and repeatable, and can be independently verified by any external entity. The Prover Pool consists of prover nodes that generate zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for transactions or blocks. ZKP is implemented by re-executing transactions or blocks and generating matching logical correctness proofs. The generated ZKP is much smaller than the original mathematical proof and can be transmitted and verified faster.

03

The application value of USL in the Web3 field

The Pi Squared team envisions USL as a language- and virtual machine-independent layer that will significantly enhance cross-chain applications and liquidity access in the Web3 industry. Specific applications include:

Rollup-in-a-box

The service supports the creation of L2/L3 rollups and application chains. Users can choose system features, and all transactions are transparently settled by USL.

Multi-chain bridging

Multi-chain bridging enables applications and rollups running on USL to seamlessly bridge tokens on different chains without the need for off-chain code.

Cross-chain financial applications

USL enables DeFi applications to smoothly transition between different rollups and application chains, providing better staking and lending rates. For example, staking ETH on Ethereum on the Cosmos chain and borrowing USDC.

Heterogeneous ZK verification

Users can take advantage of the various ZK rollups and applications supported by USL and choose the ZK platform they are familiar with. USL verifies transactions through the corresponding ZK backend.

summary

Pi Squared has set a new benchmark in verifiable computing with its innovative PoP technology and Universal Settlement Layer (USL), which not only solves many challenges in the current blockchain ecosystem, but also lays the foundation for future scientific and knowledge verification.

Although USL performs well in many aspects, it also has some limitations, for example: USL does not aim to enhance privacy, and only keeps the matching logic proof of computational correctness private. Privacy requirements for specific applications may be considered in the future; the transaction structure allows the specification of a list of trust dependencies, which is specified by system components. USL will not actively discover the trust basis of transactions that lack trust dependency specifications, and initially focuses on trust basis verification.

However, we can see from its important technological breakthroughs that USL has demonstrated its ability to solve practical problems in practice. In the future, with the rise of more applications and the improvement of infrastructure, Pi Squared will surely bring more innovation and changes to the blockchain industry.