Proof of All: Verifiable Computation in a Nutshell

TL;DR

This paper introduces a unifying model for verifiable computation, analyzing recent cryptographic proof systems and exploring future directions like universal proof compilers and zk-STARKs to simplify understanding and comparison.

Contribution

It proposes a comprehensive model for verifiable computation, consolidating diverse cryptographic proof systems and analyzing advanced technologies for broader accessibility.

Findings

Unified verifiable computation model developed

Analysis of homomorphic authenticators and verifiable delay functions

Discussion on zk-STARKs and future proof systems

Abstract

Recent advances in the cryptographic field of "Zero-Knowledge Proofs" have sparked a new wave of research, giving birth to many exciting theoretical approaches in the last few years. Such research has often overlapped with the need for private and scalable solutions of Blockchain-based communities, resulting in the first practical implementations of such systems. Many of these innovative constructions have developed in parallel, using different terminologies and evolving into a fragmented ecosystem, calling for their consolidation into the more stable domain of "Verifiable Computation". In this master thesis I propose a unifying Verifiable Computation model for the simplification and efficient comparison of all cryptographic proof systems. I take advantage of this model to analyse innovative technologies (Homomorphic Authenticators, Verifiable Delay Functions) which developed into their own specialised domains, and I attempt to make them more accessible for newcomers to the field. Furthermore, I expand on the future of Verifiable Computation, Universal proof compilers and "Proofs of All", by approaching the state-of-the-art zk-STARK construction from a more accessible and informal design perspective.