According to CoinDesk, StarkWare, the primary developer of the layer-2 blockchain Starknet, has announced plans to introduce its own zero-knowledge rollup that will be compatible with the existing Ethereum infrastructure. This setup is commonly referred to as a zkEVM. The zkEVM, named Kakarot, is currently in the testing phase and will be accessible through the Starknet Stack, a suite of software tools designed to simplify the process for developers to create their own customized application-specific chains.
Starknet already operates its own zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM), which uses a programming language called Cairo. However, with the introduction of the zkEVM, developers will have the option to code with Solidity, the most widely used programming language for Ethereum smart contracts. This will make the Starknet blockchain more accessible to a wider range of project builders.
Kakarot is presently in a 'public whitelist' phase, which means that only a select group of developers will have access to the Kakarot zkEVM before it is launched on the mainnet for testing new protocol changes. Eli Ben-Sasson, the CEO of StarkWare, stated that this development is a positive indication of Starknet's growth and maturity. He noted that while Starknet chose to use the powerful Cairo language instead of Solidity, some developers prefer the zkEVM approach, making this a significant development for the network.
In related news, StarkWare recently announced that it will be introducing a new cryptographic prover, named 'Stwo'.
