PANews reported on May 23 that according to The Block, Layer 2 developer StarkWare, together with Cartridge, launched a new expansion framework called ZKThreads to improve the scalability of decentralized applications on the Layer 2 network Starknet through execution sharding enabled by zero-knowledge proofs. This is based on the sharding expansion vision launched by StarkWare in 2021.
StarkWare said that ZKThreads will be used to expand Starknet's family of "sharding expansion" solutions, providing an alternative to existing ZK coprocessors that work in a similar way. Therefore, although existing coprocessors are effective, they usually operate independently, which leads to fragmented liquidity between applications and reduced interoperability. The launch of ZKThreads aims to solve these fragmentation problems by providing a standardized development environment that supports provable applications. The execution shards of ZKThreads applications will efficiently handle different parts of network transactions or calculations while maintaining security through zero-knowledge proofs. This setup ensures that blockchain decentralized applications can be effectively expanded by distributing computing and transaction loads without compromising the decentralization or security of the network.
The framework will also be available with Layer 3 chains in the Starknet ecosystem. Such Layer 3 chains support the expansion of dApps that require fully customizable control, while ZKThreads are designed for more flexible expansion - ensuring liveness at every step by allowing direct fallback to the base layer. Its goal is to improve the composability, security, and interoperability of ecosystem dApps.
