At the Web3 Summit 2025, @gavofyork presented a concept called ZkJAM. The JAM protocol itself can support various rollup protocols, including optimistic and zk rollups, through service abstraction, allowing them to interoperate at a protocol-native level. However, the ZKJAM discussed at this conference seems to have zkified @polkadot's polkaVM (RISC-V VM). The image below compares the cost of the JAM protocol based on the actively verified Elves algorithm (similar to fraud proofs, but with more proactive behavior) and the JAM based on ZK verification (which does not require re-executing transactions, only verifying transaction proofs). In the next 12 months to a few years, zk efficiency may continue to improve, and JAM will adopt both zk and hybrid modes simultaneously.
So, on the other hand, why did RISC0 separate its brand while the protocol uses the @boundless_xyz brand? The zkvm will become a broader infrastructure. Previously, @anoma's resource machine (similar to EVM, but different; I will write a separate piece on what Anoma's resource machine is, as it is somewhat unique) is implemented using RISC-0's RISC-V zkvm. In the future, more systems may adopt RISC0's VM architecture, including JAM.
JAM still needs quite a bit of time, and currently, the first RISC-V VM that is close to being put into production is PolkaVM (another one is the @boundless_xyz zkvm, which is already on the mainnet beta version and also based on RISC-V VM, but it is a more zk version of the VM). It has already been launched on the KSM platform (the precursor platform of @polkadot). It went live around June and is now relatively fully compatible with Solidity smart contract development. The demo program has implemented the complete operation of the Uniswap V2 version and is compatible with the Ethereum toolchain (Remix, Hardhat), and can integrate with popular libraries.
On this basis, a recent important update is XCM-Precompile (XCM precompilation, where XCM stands for cross-chain transfer protocol), which supports cross-contract calls at the language level. By inheriting or importing the IXcm interface, XCM functionality can be directly integrated into existing smart contracts. This method allows you to seamlessly embed cross-chain functionality into application logic. Whether building DeFi protocols, governance systems, or any applications that require cross-chain coordination, XCM calls can be directly incorporated into the contract's functionality. The Polkadot version of the RISC-V VM - PolkaVM should go live alongside the Polkadot Hub.
Polkadot ecosystem developer @alice_und_bob has predicted the roadmap and timelines for the second half of the year (which may not be absolutely precise):
- Polkadot 2.0 - Elastic Scaling (August?)
- Polkadot Hub - developer and user onboarding platform (October?)
- Polkadot Pay - mobile app (August?)
- DOT ETFs (whether it goes through will ultimately be in November)
- DOT Tokenomics 2.0 (still under discussion)
His roadmap is quite good:
XCM-Precompile:
PolkaVM live on Kusama:
I felt after reading this interview. See what the developers have to say
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