Polygon co-founder Mihailo Bjelic has proposed a significant upgrade to the Polygon proof-of-stake (PoS) network.
According to a forum post on June 20, Bjelic suggested turning the PoS network into a “zkEVM validium” version, leveraging Enhanced security.
Polygon adopts zkEVM and Validium models
Polygon PoS, an Ethereum scaling solution founded in 2019, currently manages over $900 million in total value locked in its contracts and processes over 2 million transactions per day. A second network, Polygon zkEVM, launched in March, scaling Ethereum with rollups of zero-knowledge proofs.
In Bjelic’s proposal, the original PoS network will also be upgraded to zkEVM, or , Version. The main difference from the recently launched network is that the new Polygon PoS will not act as a “rollup”. Instead, it will operate as a “validium”, storing only proofs of validation at layer 1, while keeping the actual transaction data on a separate chain.
Enhanced Security and Reduced Costs
This approach will allow Polygon PoS to have lower transaction fees than Polygon zkEVM, helping to increase usage. Additionally, upgrades can improve the security of Polygon PoS by inheriting the security of Ethereum.
In the future, Polygon zkEVM may be deployed in high-value transactions where security is a top priority. Meanwhile, Polygon PoS could become the network of choice for gaming and social media enthusiasts who require high transaction volume and low transaction fees.
Polygon 2.0 and data availability
The transformation of Polygon PoS and the launch of Polygon zkEVM form part of the team’s grand plan to create a “super network”. This ambitious project, also known as the ““, designed to federate various application-specific chains.
Zero-knowledge proofs are seen as a major advancement in blockchain technology, and data availability will play a key role in unlocking its full potential.
According to Polygon co-founder Anurag Arjun, future base-layer blockchain protocols will need to optimize proof, verification, and settlement for data availability, not execution. Avail, a from Led by Arjun, provides infrastructure for ZK-rollups and other off-chain scaling solutions, addressing the current issues with committing to ZK-rollups and arrive mainnet.
Bjelic said his informal proposal could evolve into a formal Polygon improvement proposal by November and could be implemented on mainnet between February and March 2024. If successful, the upgrade could represent a major leap forward in improving the security and performance of Polygon’s network.
The proposal follows another Polygon upgrade proposal detailing its governance known as .
