Recently, hardware manufacturers have been making continuous moves in the zero-knowledge proof field. A certain GPU chipmaker launched the latest ZK optimization scheme for their GPUs, doubling the proof generation speed; a collaboration between a processor manufacturer and Supranational also achieved impressive results—their FPGA acceleration cards can generate Groth16 proofs in just 1 second; some startup teams have developed the ICICLE library, enabling consumer-grade GPUs to run ZK computations as well.

More importantly, the results are truly visible. The transaction costs for zk-Rollup have dropped from the original $0.05 to $0.1 per transaction to now below $0.01. What does this mean? It means high-frequency small-value transactions finally have a viable space to survive.

But the story isn't over. Leading foundries and a major chip design giant have both announced plans to design ASIC chips specifically for ZK algorithms, with mass production expected next year. If these dedicated chips can be put into use, costs could be further reduced. By then, the turning point where ZK technology moves from theory to practicality might truly arrive.