ZKsync Unveils Airbender Prime: Post-Quantum Ethereum Proving Now Runs On A Single GPU
In Brief
ZKsync launches Airbender Prime, a post-quantum Ethereum prover that generates real-time proofs on a single GPU, cutting verification costs for institutions.
Ethereum’s Layer 2 network ZKsync has unveiled Airbender Prime, a new zero-knowledge proof system that the company describes as the first Ethereum prover capable of real-time proof generation on a single GPU. The launch marks a significant step in the race to make cryptographic verification of blockchain state both faster and more accessible.
Airbender Prime is designed with post-quantum security as a foundational principle. Rather than relying on elliptic curve pairings, which are vulnerable to quantum computing attacks, the prover uses hash-based STARKs built on three cryptographic components: GKR sumcheck protocols, WHIR polynomial commitments, and BLAKE2s hashing. For proofs that settle on Ethereum mainnet, the system will employ Keccak-256-based commitments in place of the widely used BN254 pairings. The prover is also based on the open RISC-V instruction set standard, which ZKsync positions as critical for transparency and interoperability.
In internal evaluation, a single NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPU generated proofs for 7,200 consecutive Ethereum mainnet blocks, completing 99% of them in under 10 seconds each and every block in under 12 seconds. Notably, these figures include witness preparation time, which is often excluded from proving benchmarks and can materially inflate real-world performance claims. Airbender Prime currently leads the ETHproofs public leaderboard in reported average proving time, GPU efficiency, and cost, with live two- and four-GPU configurations also available.
Lowering the Barrier for Verifiable Finance
The technical achievement carries broader implications beyond raw speed. By reducing the hardware requirements for proof generation to a single consumer-grade GPU, ZKsync aims to make independently verifiable infrastructure practical for a wider range of institutions and operators rather than only well-resourced proving farms.
The company frames this as a response to an emerging security landscape in which AI is accelerating both the discovery and exploitation of software vulnerabilities. Under its vision, requiring ZK proofs for ledger updates would create a publicly verifiable layer of protection: even if an execution server were compromised, no update violating the ledger’s encoded rules could pass verification. Airbender Prime includes a standalone verifier, allowing third parties to confirm proofs independently — a feature aligned with Ethereum’s stated ZK-centric roadmap.
ZKsync indicated that Airbender Prime is the foundation for further announcements to come, positioning real-time, post-quantum-safe proving as a building block toward a financial system where trust is backed by cryptographic proof rather than institutional reputation alone.
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About The Author
Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in crypto, AI, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.
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Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in crypto, AI, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.
