According to Odaily, Bitcoin developer Robin Linus has introduced the second iteration of his theoretical method aimed at making the Bitcoin blockchain more programmable. Named 'BitVM2,' this version reportedly includes significant improvements that bring the concept closer to real-world deployment. The project leverages advanced cryptography and innovative design to establish a secure 'bridge' for transferring Bitcoin from the main network to an auxiliary network known as 'rollup.'
Linus and five co-authors released a white paper this week detailing the basic setup, which involves compressing programs into subroutines using cryptography and then executing them within Bitcoin transactions. These programs are subsequently 'verified' in three on-chain transactions, ensuring that no one attempts to cheat or steal. One of the co-authors, Alexei Zamyatin, noted that the previous version could require up to 70 transactions for verification. Zamyatin also works independently on the Bitcoin L2 network Build on Bitcoin (BOB).
A key improvement in the new version is the introduction of a 'permissionless challenge' feature, allowing anyone to question suspicious transactions. The initial BitVM was released in October last year but never saw any practical deployment, with only a fixed group of operators able to initiate challenges. 'This design has brought us these significant improvements,' Zamyatin said in a video interview. 'We now have a complete and comprehensive description of the BitVM paradigm.'
