{"id":6958,"date":"2025-01-05T01:54:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-05T00:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/?p=6958"},"modified":"2025-01-05T01:54:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T00:54:36","slug":"innovations-in-motion-a-look-at-ef-supported-research-and-development-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/05\/innovations-in-motion-a-look-at-ef-supported-research-and-development-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovations in Motion: A Look at EF-Supported Research and Development Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Comrades,<\/p>\n

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The upcoming year promises a wealth of enhancements and grand visions emerging from the Ethereum landscape. Since our last Endorsed Teams<\/em> announcement (which followed the debut of the beacon chain), the system has witnessed over 3.8 million Ether staked and more than 120,000 active validators operational across several clients.<\/p>\n

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Recently, the Berlin network upgrade has been successfully executed, and as progress continues within various projects supported by the EF, these updates present a chance to showcase further initiatives aimed at expanding and refining Ethereum as a unified entity. This edition encompasses updates from numerous teams featured in the last Endorsed Teams report<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n

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Enjoy!<\/p>\n

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Implemented ZKP<\/h2>\n

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Written by Thore Hildebrandt<\/em><\/p>\n

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Zkopru<\/h3>\n

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Wanseob, Chance, Geoff, Rachel, Jin<\/em><\/p>\n

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Zkopru<\/a> operates as a private optimistic rollup. It facilitates transfers and atomic swaps. We have completed an audit with Least Authority and initiated a trusted setup<\/a> that will conclude on April 16th. Our next step involves launching a testnet and developing a wallet along with a block explorer.<\/p>\n

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Hubble<\/h3>\n

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CC, Vaibhav, Jake<\/em><\/p>\n

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Hubble<\/a> serves as a transfer-focused optimistic rollup. We have finalized our audit and are now advancing client enhancements while bringing on an additional engineer to accelerate development.<\/p>\n

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BLS Global Wallet<\/h3>\n

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James<\/em><\/p>\n

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Optimistic rollups (such as Optimism) that default to ecdsa signatures face a throughput limitation of approximately 500 transactions per second because signatures require on-chain storage. We utilize BLS signatures to minimize on-chain storage needs, potentially enhancing throughput to around 3000 tps. Discover more here<\/a>. The initial contracts have been upgraded to smart contract wallets featuring meta transactions, and the aggregator is currently being modified to comply. Ongoing tasks include integrating token incentives, detailing social recovery features, and organizing an audit. You can meet James at the forthcoming Scaling Ethereum Hackathon<\/a>, where he will serve as a technical mentor.<\/p>\n

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Blind Find<\/h3>\n

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Kevin<\/em><\/p>\n

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Utilize MPC to discreetly locate peers within a social graph and employ ZKP to validate the existence of the path. The initial version<\/a> has been completed. We are outlining features for the next version and expanding the team to construct a user interface.<\/p>\n

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MACI<\/h3>\n

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WeiJie, Corey, Han<\/em><\/p>\n

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The objective of MACI<\/a> is to hinder collusion among participants while preserving the censorship resistance and accurate execution advantages of smart contracts. We are presently leveraging it in the context of clr.fund. MACI has progressed beyond a minimal viable product, with version 1.0 slated for imminent release. New functionalities encompass reusable voting contracts, reduced gas consumption, and enhanced capacity that can accommodate a broader spectrum of quadratic voting scenarios.<\/p>\n

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MicroMix v2<\/h3>\n

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Jerome<\/em><\/p>\n

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MicroMix<\/a> operates as a mixer for ETH and ERC20 tokens. It is constructed on Semaphore<\/a>, a foundational layer for privacy dApps. We are currently facilitating the latest version of node and ethers, managing various networks and tokens. We have updated Surrogeth for multiple networks and tokens with a simplified setup. Work on the user interface is nearing completion, addressing final bugs and ensuring compatibility with Arbitrum. Future upgrades encompass eliminating the necessity for a surrogate for transaction fees, enhancing zkp generation speed within the browser, bolstering security for private keys, and automatically adjusting fee parameters.<\/p>\n

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Social Media Platform on Unirep<\/h3>\n

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Ya-wen (Vivian), Doris, Rachel<\/em><\/p>\n

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Utilizing Unirep<\/a>, we are establishing a private decentralized social network akin to Reddit. It enables users to discreetly build and demonstrate their reputation. The contract specifications have been outlined, and functions such as upvote, downvote, post, and comment have been implemented. We have introduced a reputation nullification strategy to mitigate double spending concerns. The next phase involves commencing work on the front end in collaboration with a designer.<\/p>\n

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MPC Phase 2 User Interface<\/h3>\n

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Geoff, Rachel<\/em><\/p>\n

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The ambition of the MPC Phase 2 UI<\/a> initiative is to provide an intuitive method for anyone to conduct a trusted setup. The website has been finalized, and we are currently utilizing it for running a trusted setup for Zkopru. We are gathering feedback from the live ceremony and investigating features for the subsequent iteration.<\/p>\n

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Forum Moderation using Prediction Markets<\/h3>\n

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Liam<\/em><\/p>\n

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Utilize the prediction market for moderation. Each submission generates a prediction market over whether the moderators will flag it as a breach of community guidelines. Liam is departing from the project and we are seeking someone to take over, check out the \u201ccuratem\u201d repositories on Liam\u2019s Github<\/a> if this piques your interest.<\/p>\n

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Reputation Verification Service<\/h3>\n

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Jay, Raphael<\/em><\/p>\n

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Export cryptographic verifications of user characteristics from existing platforms where users have built a reputation (i.e. Github, Twitter, etc.). These verifications can subsequently be authenticated by sites or decentralized applications.
\nAn initial basic version is now live, and the service can now be accessed directly via an API to verify the reputation of a Twitter account. The next goal will enable users to link with an Ethereum account and verify their identity with Twitter.<\/p>\n

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QDHP Quadratic Dollar Homepage<\/h3>\n

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Raman<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Quadratic Dollar Homepage is inspired by the Million Dollar Homepage. While it also provides a space for images on a webpage, it lets users cast votes on how much space each image should occupy. Furthermore, it implements a quadratic and collusion-resistant voting framework on Ethereum called Minimal Anti-Collusion Infrastructure (MACI) to avert bribery and expand images quadratically https:\/\/quadratic.page\/<\/a>. The implementation is complete, and we are preparing for some test rounds soon.<\/p>\n

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Data Publishing Marketplace<\/h3>\n

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Jacksoom<\/em><\/p>\n

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The project<\/a> establishes a space to publish data trustlessly after raising funds. The user submits an encrypted dataset (e.g. image or audio file) that is trustlessly disclosed once a specific crowdfunding goal has been achieved. The project is progressing rapidly, contracts have been executed, and an initial version of the website is operational, with circuit implementation next on the agenda.<\/p>\n

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Rollup Difference Compression<\/h3>\n

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Blagoj<\/em><\/p>\n

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Rollups necessitate publishing a difference between the state prior and state following. This initiative explores methods to minimize that difference in order to lower rollup expenses specifically for airdrops. We are currently in the final phases of testing various data compression techniques\/algorithms and assessing their performance. Next steps include selecting the most effective data compression technique for an iterative multi-stage retrospective airdrop and implementing the algorithm for testing and practical application on L2. The implementation will build upon the BLS Global Wallet project mentioned above.<\/p>\n

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CLR.Fund Creator<\/h3>\n

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Spencer Graham, anonymous contributor<\/em><\/p>\n

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The objective of the clr fund-deployer is to simplify the process for anyone (project, protocol, community, etc.) to establish their own instance of clr.fund to finance public goods within their domain. Clrfund-deployer has three planned releases:<\/p>\n

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Foggy<\/em> – essentially a web UI designed to deploy all dependencies and subsequently configure the contracts<\/p>\n

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Translucent<\/em> – enhancing that web UI to deploy and set up the user and recipient registries and also initiate a funding round!<\/p>\n

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Transparent<\/em> – from that same web interface, deploy (and customize!) a new web UI to host their instance of clrfund<\/p>\n

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We have just launched Foggy and are commencing work on Translucent, as well as initiating some UX design.<\/p>\n

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Ecosystem Assistance Program<\/h2>\n

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Authored by ESP Team<\/em><\/p>\n

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We recently released our Q4 Allocation Update<\/a> detailing the grants awarded in the final quarter of 2020, with over $4 million distributed across all categories.<\/p>\n

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In the meantime, on the support front, we’ve shaken things up a bit! We are processing inquiries<\/a> via our website as usual, but over the past few months, we have explored various ways to provide support:<\/p>\n

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Consultation Hours<\/h4>\n

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Our experience has shown that informal discussions can be unexpectedly effective. Starting in February, we initiated “office hours,” where teams or individuals can schedule one-on-one calls with the ESP team regarding topics such as project feedback, assessing if ESP is a suitable fit, or guidance navigating the Ethereum ecosystem. We conducted our first rounds within a limited timeframe, but we have been pleased with the results and will keep the signups open consistently from now on! If you’re interested in conversing with us, you can submit a request here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Targeted Grant Rounds<\/h4>\n

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We have also recently hosted two grant rounds focused on specific areas for R&D. These cycles allow us to highlight areas that are especially timely or of high priority, and may also have slightly distinct aims or selection criteria from ESP’s regular grants.<\/p>\n

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