Last Minute Changes​

Australia's Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill passed the Senate today, starting a one year clock on social media companies to perform age verification checks on their users or face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million US dollars). The bill is the first of its kind in the social media space, but online age verification requirements for viewing pornography have proliferated rapidly in recent years. Such bills have been passed by 19 US states over the last two years while similar bills like S-210 and C-412 are on track to pass eventually in Canada. These legislative shifts have made age verification an emerging industry and companies in the space have been actively involved in lobbying for these laws around the world.

What makes Australia's ban novel isn't that it requires age verification, but rather that it heavily restricts the mechanisms by which it can be performed. A common criticism of laws of this nature is that collecting ID from users carries significant privacy risks and potential for misuse and government surveillance. This was a sticking point for the conservative Liberal and National party members in the Senate, and an amendment was added literally yesterday in order to get it to pass. In the words of Senator Kovavic of the Liberal Party:

The coalition has worked to ensure that this bill includes critical privacy protections to ensure that no platform can force users to provide sensitive personal information, such as digital IDs, drivers licenses, or passports. This is not about surveillance. It's about protecting our children in a world that is increasingly digital.

The relevant excerpt from the amendment she's referencing is:

63DB Use of certain identification material and services​

(1) A provider of an age-restricted social media platform must not:​

• (a) collect government-issued identification material; or
• (b) use an accredited service (within the meaning of the Digital ID Act 2024);

for the purpose of complying with section 63D, or for purposes that include the purpose of complying with section 63D.

Civil penalty: 30,000 penalty units.

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(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if:​

• (a) the provider provides alternative means (not involving the material and services mentioned in paragraphs (1)(a) and (b)) for an individual to assure the provider that the individual is not an age-restricted user; and
• (b) those means are reasonable in the circumstances.

Note: In proceedings for a civil penalty order against a person for a contravention of subsection (1), the person bears an evidential burden in relation to the matter in this subsection (see section 96 of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014).

---

(3) This section does not limit section 63DA.​

---

(4) In this section:​

government-issued identification material includes:

• (a) identification documents issued by the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, or by an authority or agency of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory (including copies of such documents); and
• (b) a digital ID (within the meaning of the Digital ID Act 2024) issued by the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, or by an authority or agency of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory.

This has been widely interpreted as forbidding companies from collecting any form of government ID, including digital ID (AGDIS), excluding the mechanisms typically used for age verification to comply with pornography bans in the US. So how do you verify users' ages without checking their ID while preserving their privacy? That's the 50 million Australian dollar question.

Roadmap for Age Verification​

Item 5 of the bill makes it clear that it will be the responsibility of the eSafety Commissioner "to formulate, in writing, guidelines for the taking of reasonable steps to prevent age-restricted users having accounts with age-restricted social media platforms." On November 15th, a consortium headed by Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) was awarded the tender for the Australian Government’s Age Assurance Technology Trial which is now in progress. The trial will consist of a series of tests to evaluate "the maturity, effectiveness, and readiness for use of available age assurance technologies that determine whether a user is 18 years of age or over," and the results will inform the guidelines laid out by the eSafety Commissioner. Results are expected in roughly six months, giving companies only another six months to implement age verification technologies before penalties are levied.

The age assurance trial has its roots in the Roadmap for Age Verification report that eSafety submitted to the Australian Government in March 2023. In preparation for the report, eSafety commissioned Enex Testlab to carry out an independent assessment of age assurance technologies available on the market. The report outlines these technologies, and likely gives us some pretty strong hints of what is currently being evaluated in the technology trial. Interestingly, the Government response to the Roadmap for Age Verification asserted that it was essential that age verification technologies "work reliably without circumvention" and "balance privacy and security, without introducing risks to the personal information of adults." They went on to conclude:

Age assurance technologies cannot yet meet all these requirements. While industry is taking steps to further develop these technologies, the Roadmap finds that the age assurance market is, at this time, immature.

The Roadmap makes clear that a decision to mandate age assurance is not ready to be taken.

Apparently, they have since changed their minds.

The report primarily focuses on three different mechanisms for age verification:

1. Government-Issued ID - Identity verification based off of physical or digital IDs was found to be the most reliable mechanism, and the one in most widespread use. Concerns were expressed about accessibility and how it could impact certain groups that might be less likely to have government-issued ID. The privacy and security risks were also mentioned, although with the telling conclusion that "the use of trusted and accredited third-party providers with strong privacy and security practices may mitigate these risks."

2. Facial Biometrics - Machine-learning model predictions of a person's age from video of their face were found to be "the most viable and privacy-preserving within the biometrics category." The primary concerns here were focused around inconsistent model performance for "some skin tones, genders, or those with physical differences." The privacy risks around collecting sensitive biometric data were also raised.

3. Voice Biometrics - Models based on recordings of a person's voice were found to be "less mature," the least accurate of the methods tested. There were again inclusion concerns, this time focused around inconsistent performance based on different accents, low language fluency, or disability.

The report also outlines two mechanisms for addressing privacy concerns:

1. Electronic Tokens - The euCONSENT pilot was used as the model here, and it was praised for the use of a "tokenised, interoperable, and double-blind approach to preserve user anonymity" to ensure "age-restricted websites do not know the identity of a user, and the age assurance service provider does not record which sites a user visits." In this scheme, an age verification service can issue a token attesting to the fact that someone meets a minimum age requirement. The token is then stored in a digital wallet and can be reused for some period of time. This has the major benefit that it prevents the sites requiring age verification from connecting users to their real identities, but also the significant downside that sensitive personal information needs to be shared with a third party.

   No matter how carefully a third party company tries to handle sensitive data and prevent misuse, there is always the risk of outside attackers gaining access to. Countless high profile hacks like Equifax to Snowflake have taught us that lesson.

2. Zero-Knowledge Proofs - Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) are a form of applied cryptography where proofs of arbitrary computations are created which preserve the secrecy of some of the inputs to the computation. These proofs can then be easily be shared and verified by others while providing strong cryptographic guarantees that the original secret inputs cannot be recovered from the proof. The report primarily focuses on an open-source demonstration by the French data regulator, Commission Nationale Informatique & Libertés (CNIL), but significant advances in this space have been made since the report was written. For example, the openpassport project allows users to scan the NFCs in government issued IDs and generate proofs of both their validity and arbitrary attestations about the data in the ID without revealing anything beyond that. A user could generate a proof that only says they are older than sixteen and nothing else, or only verify their country of citizenship.

   Significant advances have also been made in the Zero-Knowledge Machine Learning (ZKML) space which allows one to generate proofs that a given machine-learning model produced a certain output without revealing the inputs. This could be applied to facial biometric models to provide an age prediction without sharing the input photo. As cameras supporting cryptographic signatures have become more common in the era of deep fakes, it's even possible to verify those signatures and confirm that a photo was recently taken.

   Another area that has seen a lot of activity recently is the use of ZKPs to verify TLS or DKIM signatures on websites and emails, respectively. These can be used to piggy back off the existing trust structure around domain certificates and generate attestations from trusted sources. For example, you could generate an age verification proof based on processing your logged in DMV profile. The possibilities are really endless since arbitrary computations can be verified. Proofs can be verified recursively, allowing you to combine multiple proofs from different sources together.

   The ZKP approach carries all of the privacy benefits of the token system with the added benefits of transparency and that you don't need to trust a third-party with your sensitive data. If you're interested in learning more about Zero-Knowledge Proofs, that's what we do here at Sindri. Feel free to check out our documentation or shoot us an email to learn more about our solutions.

Hot Takes​

While Zero-Knowledge Proofs offer the best security and privacy guarantees for users, eSafety is far more likely to lean towards existing out of the box solutions from third-party providers such as Yoti as a matter of practicality. They'll likely set guidelines requiring the use of these third-party age verification services with an euCONSENT-style token-based approach to limit the amount of information that is shared with social media providers. Their report made it clear that they accessibility and inclusiveness are two of their top concerns. That point towards requiring multiple age verification options because they identified weakness in each individual method. The amendment restricting the use of government issued IDs is also very clear that it does not apply given that "the provider provides alternative means for an individual to assure the provider that the individual is not an age-restricted user," so adding a second verification alternative will allow the collection of government IDs. The only two options that weren't deemed entirely ineffective were verifying IDs and facial biometrics, so that's likely what we'll get.

Revolutionizing Async ZK Gaming with Zero-Knowledge Proofs​

In this installment of our Builder Spotlight series, we delve into Scroll Fighter, an innovative asynchronous fighting game built on the Scroll network. Developed by Arjan, this project showcases the potential of zero-knowledge proofs in gaming while demonstrating the power and simplicity of Sindri's ZK proving API. You can play Scroll Fighter here or visit Arjan's github.

"I could just use a simple endpoint in my frontend to do the proof generation. I was surprised how easy Sindri was, and that it worked right away."

-Arjan

Project Overview​

Scroll Fighter is an asynchronous fighting ZK game that leverages zero-knowledge proofs to create a fair and engaging player-vs-player experience. The game's unique mechanism allows players to commit strategies without revealing them, ensuring a level playing field and adding a layer of strategic depth to the gameplay.

Key Features and ZK Game Mechanics​

• Asynchronous, blockchain-based gameplay with strategic depth
• ZK-proof secured strategy commitment for fairness
• Three-round combat system with diverse fighter roster
• On-chain verification using Sindri for seamless proof generation
• Challenge, commit, reveal, and execute game flow

Technical Stack​

• Frontend: Next.js and React (created with Scaffold-ETH 2)
• ZK Circuits: Noir for UX and circuit abstraction
• Proving Infrastructure: Sindri API for efficient ZK proof generation
• Blockchain: Smart contracts deployed on Scroll network
• Data Indexing: The Graph for enhanced game state querying

Development Approach and Technological Impact​

Arjan's creation of Scroll Fighter exemplifies a strategic approach to solo development in the blockchain gaming space. The project's success hinged on the careful selection and integration of key technologies that could meet the unique demands of an asynchronous, ZK-powered game.

Central to the development was the choice of zero-knowledge proof infrastructure. Arjan opted for a combination of Noir for writing ZK circuits and Sindri's performant, cloud-based proving platform for proof generation. This pairing proved a powerful accelerator, allowing for rapid iteration on game mechanics and development.

The blockchain gaming context presented unique challenges, particularly in terms of user experience. Scroll Fighter required a solution that could deliver low-latency, high-scalability proving to ensure a responsive and engaging gameplay flow. Sindri's API helped meet these requirements, facilitating proof generation and verification directly from the game's interface. This integration contributed to creating a gameplay experience that felt natural and immediate to users, aligning with the responsiveness expected in traditional gaming.

By leveraging Noir and the Sindri proving API, Arjan implemented ZK gaming capabilities typically associated with larger development teams. This democratization of powerful ZK developer tools and access to scalable infrastructure mirrors existing development environments, significantly advancing the ZK gaming and Web3 landscape.

The efficient workflow enabled by Noir and Sindri ZK proving API allowed Arjan to focus on core ZK game mechanics and user experience, not infrastructure. This strategy enabled the delivery of a complex, feature-rich ZK gaming application, demonstrating how solo developers can create innovative and competitive ZK games that rival projects from larger teams.

Sindri Integration​

The below snippet demonstrates the straightforward process of generating and retrieving a zero-knowledge proof using Sindri's API and SDKs, showcasing its simplicity and efficiency in enabling a responsive gaming experience.

const circuitId = '21990165-2224-4446-8887-1261482ec5cd';

console.log('proving ', proofInput);
const proveResponse = await axios.post(`/circuit/${circuitId}/prove`, {
  proof_input: proofInput,
});
console.log('proveResponse', proveResponse);
const proofId = proveResponse.data.proof_id;

// Polling for proof generation
while (true) {
  proofDetailResponse = await axios.get(`/proof/${proofId}/detail`);
  const { status } = proofDetailResponse.data;
  if (status === 'Ready') {
    console.log(`Polling succeeded after ${elapsedSeconds} seconds.`);
    break;
  }
  // ... error handling and timeout logic
}
const circuitId = '21990165-2224-4446-8887-1261482ec5cd';

console.log('proving ', proofInput);
const proveResponse = await axios.post(`/circuit/${circuitId}/prove`, {
  proof_input: proofInput,
});
console.log('proveResponse', proveResponse);
const proofId = proveResponse.data.proof_id;

// Polling for proof generation
while (true) {
  proofDetailResponse = await axios.get(`/proof/${proofId}/detail`);
  const { status } = proofDetailResponse.data;
  if (status === 'Ready') {
    console.log(`Polling succeeded after ${elapsedSeconds} seconds.`);
    break;
  }
}

What's Next​

Scroll Fighter represents a significant step forward in blockchain-based gaming, demonstrating the potential of zero-knowledge proofs to create fair, engaging, and strategically deep experiences. Arjan's journey in developing this project highlights the power of strategic tool selection, the value of efficient development practices, and the impact of developer-friendly tools like Sindri in simplifying complex cryptographic implementations.

As we continue to explore the intersection of blockchain, gaming, and zero-knowledge technology, projects like ScrollFighter serve as inspiring examples of how solo developers can leverage cutting-edge tools to create innovative and competitive applications in the Web3 space.

End-to-End ZK Infrastructure: Sindri and Hyle Join Forces​

We are pleased to announce a strategic partnership between Sindri and Hylé, a leading provider of ZK proof verification solutions. This collaboration will enable developers to seamlessly integrate Sindri's ZK Developer Cloud and API for efficient proof generation with Hylé's cost-effective, high-throughput proof verification layer.

The next leap in ZK innovation will be catalyzed by infrastructure that abstracts complexity, allowing developers to harness cryptographic power with the familiarity of conventional coding paradigms. This partnership exemplifies this vision by creating a ZK stack built to meet the standards of modern developers. By abstracting the intricacies of ZK infrastructure and execution, we're empowering developers and protocols alike to focus on building innovative applications rather than grappling with low-level implementation details.

Today, rollups, projects, and applications use Sindri's robust proving infrastructure and API to build and deploy faster while reducing costs. This partnership enhances our offering, allowing developers to generate proofs quickly and efficiently using Sindri, then verify them seamlessly through Hylé's scalable system. The result is a more streamlined, cost-effective process for builders that further reduces operational overhead, accelerating development cycles and time-to-market.

For instance, a team developing a modular ZK rollup could now generate and verify validity proofs for thousands of transactions without managing complex proof generation infrastructure or deploying custom verification contracts. This streamlined process not only reduces development time from months to weeks but also makes verification costs negligible, regardless of team size. As a result, we're jointly opening up the design space for ZK builders of any size, across any ecosystem to build towards a scalable, verifiable future.

This partnership is among many strategic collaborations we have planned to enhance our ZK infrastructure and our out-of-the-box tooling that complements our core proving API. We are dedicated to continuously improving our platform and ensuring our clients have access to the best technologies available. Stay tuned for more announcements as we continue to forge new partnerships and drive innovation in the ZK space.

Explore more about how Sindri can support your projects by visiting our blog, GitHub, and documentation.

Enhancing Media Authenticity with Zero-Knowledge Proofs: Sindri Partners with Maya​

We are excited to announce a strategic partnership between Sindri and Maya Labs. By integrating Sindri’s Zero-Knowledge (ZK) infrastructure with Maya’s media authenticity protocol, we set new standards for integrity and trustworthiness in verifying the authenticity of digital media content.

The Need for Media Authenticity​

Fake news, manipulated images, and AI-generated deepfakes make it increasingly difficult to trust the media we consume.

Maya Labs is building the first authenticity layer to combat the increasing difficulty in distinguishing between authentic and hyper-realistic AI-generated digital content. Their media authenticity protocol leverages zero-knowledge technology to offer seamless and secure authenticity verification of digital media content. Maya’s approach eliminates the need for third-party intermediaries, ensuring content credibility for creators of high-value media content.

By leveraging Sindri, Maya is able to access serverless, high-performance infrastructure required to generate proofs of authenticity across the Maya network through a few API calls. It’s a natural fit for both teams bringing Gnark-supported, ZK utility to real world use cases at scale. Maya protocol will use Sindri to power ZK proof generation within the media editing workflows, enabling secure and efficient validation of media content. With the Sindri API, integration takes minutes as compared to days, weeks, or months and provides infinite scalability out-of-the-box with no custom infrastructure code required.

The partnership between Sindri Labs and Maya Labs has already shown tangible benefits. The ZK-powered media editor prototype launched by Maya showcased how zero-knowledge technology can be used to ensure media authenticity. For example, the Maya protocol now offers real-time verification of various image manipulations, ensuring that users can trust the content and have enough contextual information to make informed decisions.

Some areas where Maya + Sindri can be leveraged:

• Professional Content Creators: Social media creators could use Maya to protect their brand IP & reputation, enhancing audience engagement & trust.
• AI Transparency: AI companies could use Maya to ensure transparency in the quality of training datasets and AI-generated content, ensuring compliance with regulations.
• News Agencies: Major news organizations could use the Maya protocol to verify the authenticity of breaking news stories before publication.
• Corporate Communications: Companies could use Maya to ensure the integrity of their digital communications, protecting their reputations and preventing the spread of false information.

Explore more about how Sindri can support your projects by visiting our blog, GitHub, and documentation.

Sindri is thrilled to announce our participation in the upcoming V0RTex Hackathon hosted by Scroll. As pioneers in the zero-knowledge space, Scroll has been instrumental in scaling Ethereum and we share their commitment to uplifting the developer experience. We're excited to engage with the vibrant Scroll community, challenge conventional workflows, and explore new ways to build the scalable future.

Why Participate in V0RTex?​

V0RTex is a hackathon bringing together developers across the experience spectrum from novice to expert looking to push scalability. Builders will hack alongside others from across a variety of ecosystems including Ankr, Aztec, Chainlink, Covalent, Cyfrin, The Graph, and OpenZeppelin.

Hackers will have the opportunity to compete for over $85,000 in hacker rewards (plus Sindri credits if you’re participating in the Sindri track).

Check out previous Scroll hackathon submissions, or sign up here!

What We Bring to the Table​

Sindri brings powerful tooling and accessible infrastructure solutions to ZK devs all via an API call. It’s like if Infura had a ZK proving endpoint for some of the most widely use proving frameworks like Gnark, Halo2, Circom, and Noir. This means builders and teams can have ready-to-use DevOps pipelines built right into the development flow or application logic, streamlined through intuitive Sindri SDKs, our Remix integration and other tooling.

At Sindri, we felt like robust infrastructure ZK solutions were something only well-capitalized organizations could afford to spin-up and manage. Our vision is to democratize acceleration, infrastructure, and the backend deployment experience for any developer, across any ecosystem, and across any ZK framework so they can build and ship with confidence. Our serverless deployment options mean more compute in a format that's consumable for dev teams big and small.

Jump in and get ready to hack in the V0RTex, or explore the bounties for Sindri and other hackathon partners.

Engage, Innovate, and Build​

V0RTex has lined up exciting challenges for participants, focusing on areas where blockchain and zero-knowledge proofs can truly shine:

• DeFi: We’re looking for ideas that revolutionize decentralized finance through superior UX and accessibility.
• Gaming: Show us how zero-knowledge proofs can transform gaming on the blockchain with fairness, privacy, and scalability.
• Privacy: Innovate with projects that utilize ZK to enhance privacy in identity management, voting, and communications.

Each category not only challenges the status quo but also provides a fertile ground for deploying new concepts that could lead to broader adoption and understanding of blockchain technologies. Looking for some inspiration on what to build with Sindri? We have lots of it.

More Than Just Competition​

Sindri’s participation in V0RTex is about more than just competition; it’s about fostering a community. We are committed to supporting all developers, from those just starting their blockchain journey to seasoned experts. To this end, we will be offering comprehensive support throughout the hackathon, including dedicated office hours with our team.

Join us at Scroll's V0RTex hackathon to push the boundaries of what's possible with zero-knowledge technology. Together, we can build a future that leverages the full potential of blockchain technology, making it more accessible, efficient, and secure for everyone.

Explore more about how Sindri can support your projects by visiting our blog, GitHub, and documentation. Let’s build something transformative together in the V0RTex.

Today, we are excited to announce Sindri’s integration with Remix.

The integration of Sindri + Remix streamlines the ZK development process by embedding Sindri’s powerful API directly into the browser-based solution developers already rely on: Remix.

Sindri makes commissioning ZK infrastructure effortless and brings teams from idea to production within minutes not days or weeks. Now teams can incorporate sophisticated smart contract logic with industry-best tooling and powerful ZK infrastructure deployment pipelines without leaving their development environment.

Shareable sessions through Gists make ZK unit testing and collaboration possible with Remix across teams. We envision that, together with Remix, builders will come to rely on templated and shareable builds that can be repurposed, rebuilt, and reimagined on the fly.

To further expedite the development process, this integration provides pre-built helper templates for Circom development built right into Remix. These templates can serve as invaluable starting points, significantly reducing setup time and allowing developers to dive straight into building.

Here’s to moving ZK development forward, making it more accessible, and aligning it with the standards you’ve come to expect in the broader world of software development. Let’s build something amazing.

Create a Sindri account and get started in minutes with pre-built Circom templates or pull in from the Sindri repository of circuits here.

We’re making security, quality assurance, and developer efficiency of zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) circuits more straightforward by incorporating auditor-level insights right into your development flow with Trail of Bits.

Sindri's latest update introduces integration with Circomspect, the powerful circuit analysis tool by Trail of Bits, addressing a critical need in the ZKP development community: more assurances of circuit security and adherence to best practices from the outset.

This move streamlines the ZK development process and makes best practices in circuit design zero friction and foundational from the start rather than an afterthought. By embedding Circomspect's capabilities within Sindri's CLI, developers gain a powerful ally in their development process: Trail of Bits, a leading cybersecurity firm securing some of the world’s most targeted organizations and devices in the defense, tech, finance and blockchain industries.

Our objective at Sindri is to make ZK development more approachable and manageable for teams of any size. We work towards a future where anyone who needs it is up and running with ZK in minutes with powerful tooling and performant infrastructure experienced in a way developers have grown to expect: via API. The integration with Trail of Bits strengthens this proposition.

👇 Read on for how to begin using Circomspect in your workflow

Using Circomspect in Sindri​

You can follow our Quick Start guide for deeper walk through of the CLI in its entirety or get started with Cimcomspect x Sindri right away by following along below.

1. First install the Sindri CLI:

npm install -g sindri@latest

2. Navigate to the root directory housing your Circom main circuit. Once there run:

sindri lint

3. You will receive an output such as the following. Note, if your circuit passes all linting checks your output may differ.

[23:31:47.105] INFO: Running static analysis with Circomspect by Trail of Bits...
[23:31:47.337] WARN: circuit.circom:367:27 Using the signal assignment operator `<--` does not constrain the assigned signal. [Circomspect: CS0005]
[23:31:47.339] WARN: circuit.circom:599:9 Using the signal assignment operator `<--` does not constrain the assigned signal. [Circomspect: CS0005]
[23:31:47.339] WARN: circuit.circom:620:5 Using the signal assignment operator `<--` does not constrain the assigned signal. [Circomspect: CS0005]
...
[23:31:47.341] WARN: Found 14 problems (0 errors, 14 warnings).

If you have any errors running the tool, please check our CLI tutorial or contact us at hello@sindri.app.

Many consider on-chain zkML to be cost-prohibitive due to computational overhead and data publishing. While that remains up for debate, one thing is clear: Sindri’s powerful proving API + the modular paradigm provides a cost-efficient path towards scaling zkML for anyone looking to enrich blockchain UX.

Together with the teams at Celestia and Rollkit, we wanted to explore how these technologies synergize to unlock new paradigms in zkML applications and smart contract development. By integrating Sindri's efficient proof generation, Celestia's modular data availability, and Rollkit's customizable rollup framework, we deploy zkML in minutes (not days) across scalable block space. Together, we're paving the way for developers to create complex, user-centric experiences enabled by zkML across the modular configuration they deem best.

See the model here, otherwise let’s dive in.

Verifiable ML doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive for operators or end users.​

The core of our findings reveal executing against zkML models with Sindri on Rollkit x Celestia is a) remarkably simple and b) cost-competitive against what’s currently possible on Layer 1 Ethereum. This makes sense given the general purpose nature of Ethereum and breakthroughs in Celestia’s modular blockchain construction + Sindri’s flexible proving API deployable across any EVM ecosystem.

Here’s a snapshot of what we discovered:

• Verifying our zkML model on Ethereum could cost in the range of $15.00 to $20.00, based on gas prices and the current Ethereum market pricing.

• In contrast, verifying a zkML model on Rollkit (without accounting for operator expenses) costs just a fraction of a cent per isolated transaction.

Comparing Verification Costs on Ethereum vs. Rollkit x Celestia​

Our objective was straightforward: assess the cost of verifying a lightweight zkML model on Ethereum against doing the same on Rollkit x Celestia. EVM compatibility and one-click deployability of Rollkit + Sindri allowed for easy deployment.

Here’s a bit about our setup:

• We chose a small neural net model for this proof of concept - simple yet effective for demonstration and applicable in a mobile app context. The model we used is trained to identify the origin region of a recipe based on ingredients. It’s a fun twist on the standard ML models and proves that zkML can have engaging, practical applications. You can find out more about that model here.

• Rollkit served as our execution layer for verification with Celestia DA. Sindri powered proof generation across both the Rollkit and Ethereum environments.

• Rollkit’s support of the Polaris EVM made deploying Sindri’s verifier contract nearly identical between Ethereum and a local Celestia devnet instance. Readers wishing to replicate our findings can easily do so following Rollkit’s Polaris EVM tutorial and Sindri’s smart contract integration walkthrough. Once deployed, proofs of verifiable inference were submitted via the Sindri API which were then routed to our verifier contracts waiting onchain.

• Some general assumptions around operator costs, rollup efficiencies, and sequencing logic were made to establish a good baseline for framing the tradeoffs. Lastly, because compute cost using Sindri is consistent in both instances, that cost has not been included in this analysis.

The Results: Demonstrated Cost Efficiency​

Our findings are compelling for those seeking to develop zkML with greater customization, powerful infrastructure, and choice of deployment:

• Verifying our zkML model on Ethereum was approximately 214286 gas, translating to a fee of around $15.00 to $20.00 at average market prices. (Source: YCharts)

• Rollkit transactions, on the other hand, cost about $0.000939 per isolated transaction (assuming a 526 byte block). This difference in cost underscores the cost efficiency of Rollkit x Celestia for running zkML models, making it an attractive platform for developers and projects keen on leveraging ML in blockchain.

Why This Matters For Builders​

Builders are always seeking design optionality and the modular paradigm expands developer choice across that spectrum. In addition to the stark cost difference between deploying your zkML application on Ethereum vs Rollkit, this end-to-end experiment establishes a few points, beyond cost savings, worth emphasizing:

• First, Sindri's serverless API and portable toolkits enable rapid deployment of zkML circuits across the blockchain environments developers already love to build on. So long as the blockchain is EVM compatible, performing zkML verified inference is streamlined - code once, deploy anywhere.

• Second, Rollkit x Celestia afforded greater control over our zkML-oriented use cases providing developers a wide range of rollup configurations and optionality paired with cost efficient blockspace on Celestia.

We’re excited to be a part of the Rollkit and Celestia ecosystem. Coupled with Rollkit and Celestia, we turn the dream of flexible zkML deployment into the standard, ushering in an era where ZK utility is globally accessible and recognized as a fundamental developer resource.

We’re eager to continue integrating with teams deploying generational applications built on Celestia and Rollkit as we build out the proving layer. If you’re a team building in the space, let’s talk.

ETHGlobal's Circuit Breaker hackathon is a beacon for the zero-knowledge (ZK) developer community, and Sindri is thrilled to be a part of it. As the inaugural ZK-focused event by ETHGlobal, this event isn't just another hackathon; it's a gathering of builders and forward-thinkers eager to push the boundaries of what's possible with ZK technology. We're here to support you, whether you're a seasoned ZK developer or just starting to explore ZK. The best part: prizes will be an added bonus. Read on to find out more.

There are also some truly amazing projects and teams joining in on the event as well including Avail, Scroll, Aztec, Privacy + Scaling Exploration, and Iron Fish.

At Sindri, we're all about removing barriers and meeting developers wherever they are in the development lifecycle. We believe in giving every developer, regardless of their background or the ecosystem they operate in, the tools and infrastructure to build and deploy with confidence. Our goal is to make high-quality backend deployment accessible to everyone, democratizing the ability to accelerate and scale projects without compromising.

Why Hack with Sindri​

We want you to help reshape what’s possible with ZK. We respect the builders at the forefront of this exciting technology, but also see the hurdles of developing, iterating, and shipping ZK solutions due to infrastructure that just hasn’t been able to keep pace with the industry. We seek to deliver productivity and developer choice in every line of code. Thus, integrating Sindri is simple! It integrates with workflows you’re accustomed to (e.g., Github, SDKs, etc) and, most importantly, it is deployed through an API, which UX developers have come to expect with infrastructure solutions. So, let’s build together.

To make things more interesting and encourage boundary pushing, we've structured two main prize categories to spark your creativity:

Prize 1: Most Unique Use of Sindri - Show us how you can creatively use Sindri’s API to solve complex problems or create something entirely new. This category rewards creative applications that leverage Sindri’s API and supported proving systems such as Gnark, Noir, Halo2, and Circom. Whether it's through rollups, interoperability solutions, DePIN, proof aggregation, or any other application, we're looking for projects that stand out.

Prize 2: Best Use of Sindri in ML x Web3 - Combine AI with Web3 in ways that challenge the status quo. If you've got an idea that merges these fields in a unique way, we want to see it. We’ve got some examples that may provide off-the-shelf inspiration here.

We’ll be hosting office hours weekly to ensure we’re making ourselves available to take on your questions or issues. Also, be sure to check out the other great prize tracks here.

More Than Just a Tool​

Sindri was built by builders just like you who value modernized tooling to get the job done in a way that “just works.” Our goal is to be your tool of choice wherever you are across the development cycle. The Sindri API has been built in a way that fits into existing application and protocol logic via our SDK and CLI tooling to streamline your ZK journey from dev to prod.

Sindri comes jam-packed with a lot of power under the hood including: serverless deployment, proprietary acceleration hardcoded into every API call, high-availability GPU nodes, out-of-the-box proof system support, near-zero latency, and more.

A Friendly Invitation​

We’re excited about the possibilities that Circuit Breaker and the broader ZK community hold. Sindri is here to support your journey, offering the tools and infrastructure needed to bring your vision to life. Join us at ETHGlobal’s Circuit Breaker hackathon and let’s explore the future of ZK technology together.

Discover more about how Sindri can support your projects by visiting our blog, GitHub, and documentation. Let's build something amazing together.

It's a big day at Sindri HQ. Over the last nine months we've been hard at work to make ZK proving infrastructure more accessible. We've done so through extraodinary developer tooling and an API-driven DevEx that developers, researchers, and builders have come to expect when designing and shipping next generation applications.

Starting today, we're officially inviting developer teams to transform their development workflows and proving environments with closed beta access to Sindri. Our closed beta prioritizes the features and utilities requested by the coders and engineers who trust our platform with their life work.

If you’d like access, you can create an account here. Let's dive in to what's in this release below!

What’s in the V1 release?​

From the outset, Sindri was envisioned as a tool built by developers, for developers building the next frontier using ZK technology. This first release will provide a suite of out-of-the-box tooling for developer, app, and research teams that need streamlined iteration and turbocharged deployment pipelines across ZK environments. Here's a sneak peek at some of things that will be shipped in this release:

• Built-in Acceleration for ZK-Proof Workloads. Sindri’s algorithms are optimized for streamlining proof generation and save over +50% on average proving time across supported proving frameworks, end-to-end. We're democratizing managed, L2-grade acceleration for any developer, rollup, or organization with no configuration overhead.

• Serverless, High-Availability Proving Infrastructure. A serverless, low-latency infrastructure backend that scales with zero-code. Today, we’ve seeded Sindri with a wide catalog of high performance hardware options to allow near-infinite scalability for mission-critical proving workloads.

• Protoype Circuits. We've provided sample circuits to assist with and inspire developer creativity. Explore how each of our supported proving sytems can be leveraged across use cases with some of these examples in action here or on our Github here.

• Support for Noir, Halo2, Gnark, and Circom Proving Systems. Support across leading ZK DSLs and frameworks with more on the way. Low degree of circuit refactoring makes integration and deployment easy while retaining developer choices.

• SDK and CLI Tooling. Tailored to modern development needs, the Sindri SDK and CLI tools allow rapid setup of proving environments in fewer than 10 minutes. Build custom scripts or start with our quickstart guide.

• Robust Development and Production Environments. We built Sindri as a lifecycle tool. Perform mock trusted setups for your unit testing and development or integrate proving keys for immediate, production-ready deployment with Sindri. Compile through Github integrations or locally via our SDK or CLI.

  Sign up for Sindri beta access.

What is Sindri Solving For?​

We’ve talked at length about the trouble with existing ZK proving infrastructure, DevOps tooling, and the move towards Hybrid Edge Cryptography. Here’s a quick refresher on the things we don’t think developers should have to manage or compromise on:

• Universal Support. Don't compromise on ZK DSLs’ performance and flexibility due to infrastructure customization needs. Find a list of our supported frameworks here.
• Bootstrap Proving Resources. Sindri eliminates the time-consuming and costly process of bootstrapping performant proving resources.
• Economical Serverless Compute. Avoid the financial and time burdens of always-on instances and over-provisioned cloud environments. With Sindri, you save time and money with instances that are 2x more cost effective than major cloud providers.
• Managed Services. Leave it to Sindri. Sidestep the hassles of self-deployed instance maintenance and unforeseen compute shortages or changes in dependencies.
• SLA Reliability and Uptime You Can Count On. Benefit from the convenience of on-demand, high availability compute, complete with SLA-backed reliability.

A Preview of Things to Come​

We’ve got a jam-packed roadmap of features to streamline ZK development:

• Circuit Hub. Discover a community-built repository of public circuits. For now, you can find some public circuit examples here, including our PageRank algorithm written in Noir.
• Managed Instances. Customize and configure your ZK environment for on the fly. This includes hardware selection, acceleration preference, and shared vs. dedicated instances.
• Expanding Framework Support. We’re committed to supporting your preferred ZK proving frameworks. If you have a specific framework request or suggestion, please let us know by emailing us at hello@sindri.app.

We’re eager to connect with those pushing the boundaries with ZK technology. Whether you have feature suggestions or are a ZK developer team in need of streamlined deployment, we’re here to listen and collaborate. Let’s talk.