Vitalik Buterin: the race for zkEVM speed is won – now the focus is on security

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that the race to accelerate zero-knowledge proofs is over and the priority should now shift to security. His comment followed ZKsync's announcement about real-time proofs on a single graphics card. Over 7,200 consecutive mainnet blocks, ZKsync's new provider Airbender Prime delivered 99% of proofs in less than 10 seconds. However, these figures are based on ZKsync's own assessment.

Today, Ethereum validators recheck each transaction to confirm a block. ZK-proofs, which verify the correctness of computations without repeating them, will allow them to verify only a short proof. This could reduce the workload per block. Ethereum adds a block every 12 seconds, and ZKsync claims that no block in the sample required such time for proof. The public ETHproofs ranking places Airbender Prime first in average proof time. According to ZKsync, a lower hardware threshold opens proving to more institutions and independent operators.

"At this point, I believe the battle for speed is definitively won, and the highest priority for zkEVM should fully switch to security," Buterin wrote on X on October 15, 2026. He outlined three tests for zkEVM: compliance with Ethereum's specification, limiting the provider's block gas cost, and reliance on a robust proof system. Each must be formally verified—that is, mathematically proven, not just tested.

This does not directly affect the price of ETH. Airbender Prime is a tool by ZKsync, not a change to the Ethereum protocol: supply, fees, and staking rewards remain the same. The impact on price is more likely to come through sentiment around the roadmap, along with macroeconomics and fund flows. Over the past 24 hours, ETH has dropped by more than 5%.

Reputation is far more important. ZKsync offers the technology to banks, arguing that a hacked server still cannot execute a ledger update that violates the rules. Therefore, a fast provider with flaws would undermine the very goal. Formal verification and audit can now determine which zkEVM Ethereum can trust.