I’ve started tracking ZK proving systems across multiple ecosystems. The signal that stood out wasn’t prover speed. It wasn’t TPS. It wasn’t block time. It was something more fundamental: ZK throughput is accelerating because proofs are getting smaller and cheaper. Compression (not speed) is the real unlock for: - cross-chain verification - multi-rollup settlement - recursive proof aggregation - intent routing - AI inference proving - on-chain compute The more data I pulled, the more obvious it became that proof compression is the economic breakthrough that makes ZK actually scalable. ● Why Proof Compression Matters Blockchains don’t pay for speed. They pay for bytes. Every rollup’s economics depend on the cost of writing proofs to L1. When compression improves: - calldata costs fall - verification becomes trivial - rollups settle more cheaply - L3s become viable - proving markets emerge - multi-rollup architecture becomes sustainable The entire “ZK everywhere” roadmap only works if proofs shrink fast enough. And right now, the curve is bending hard downward. ● The Receipts Proof Costs Are Collapsing > zkSync: $0.45/tx > Polygon zkEVM: Plonky2 recursion cut prove time 50% since Q2 2025 > StarkNet: proof size down 100–150 KB → <40 KB This is a 95–98% reduction from 2021 levels. Throughput Is Rising Because Proofs Are Smaller > StarkEx: 600–900 TPS > zkSync: 300K+ proofs, <4 min median > Polygon CDK: many rollups → one compressed proof Proof size, not prover speed, is doing the lifting. Calldata Compression Is Flattening Costs > zkSync: 60–70% calldata reduction > STARKs: 2.5×–4× shrink vs 2023 > Brevis: 6–12s predictable proofs on large state > Succinct: multi-client proving lowers calldata per batch Compression is now the foundation of ZK economics. ● Who Benefits Most From Compression? 1️⃣ @zksync Fast, frequent recursion gives zkSync: • cheap L3 settlement • low marginal overhead • viable multi-rollup clusters • dense aggregation 2️⃣ @Starknet STARKs compress heavy compute, enabling: • orderflow engines • complex DeFi logic • high-load games • on-chain AI 3️⃣ Polygon zkEVM Plonky2 recursion + CDK unlock: • many L3s in one proof • cheap micro-rollups • shared proving infra The mesh works because proofs compress aggressively. 4️⃣ @brevis_zk Brevis compresses off-chain logic into small proofs. • 125M+ proofs • 95K verified addresses • 6–12s proving windows It is how ZK scales computation, not just blockchains. 5️⃣ @0xMiden Smaller proofs make privacy economical: • sustainable zk-VM costs • privacy-first execution • confidential rollups with throughput 6️⃣ @zkPass MPC + ZK + TLS compression enables: • lightweight on-chain proofs • portable identity • low-cost attestations As proofs shrink, these markets undercut vertically integrated rollups. Provers become the new “blockspace.” ● Where This Goes Next? Based on current adoption curves, here are the clearest forward signals: 1. Trustless cross-chain intents as cheap proofs replace bridges. 2. Multi-rollup stacks powered by shared proving clusters. 3. Proving becomes the real fee market. 4. ZKML goes on-chain once compression beats inference cost. This is the roadmap compression unlocks. ● Conclusion Proof compression is the quiet but decisive shift in ZK infrastructure. Everyone debates speed, incentives, or fees, yet the system runs on one variable: proof size and verification cost. Smaller proofs expand throughput. Higher throughput unlocks new architectures. Cheaper architectures turn ZK from niche to foundational. My view: 2026 is the year ZK stops scaling compute and starts scaling economics. Proof compression is the unlock.