Optimizing Optimism: Up to 3.5x Faster zkVM Validity Proofs via Sparse Derivation

TL;DR

This paper presents a redesign of the Optimism derivation pipeline that significantly reduces proof generation time in zkVMs, achieving up to 3.5x faster proofs while preserving safety guarantees.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, soundness-preserving redesign of the derivation pipeline optimized for zkVMs, reducing proof costs substantially.

Findings

Achieves up to 6.5x faster derivation inside zkVMs

Overall speedup of 3.5x in proof generation

Maintains identical safety guarantees

Abstract

The Optimism derivation pipeline is engineered for correctness and liveness, not for succinct validity proofs. A straightforward port to a zkVM imposes significant overheads, making validity proofs significantly more costly than necessary. We systematically identify inefficiencies in the current design, analyze their impact on proving costs, and provide a soundness-preserving redesign tailored to zk proving. Our redesign achieves up to 6.5x faster derivation inside zkVMs (3.5x overall speedup) while maintaining identical safety guarantees.