Ethereum 3.0: The Breakthrough Proposal of Beam Chain

Recently, at the 2024 Devcon conference held in Bangkok, representatives from various parties in the Ethereum ecosystem gathered to discuss the latest developments and future trends in the blockchain field. Among the many exciting presentations, a consensus layer upgrade proposal known as "Ethereum 3.0" - Beam Chain was particularly noteworthy.

This proposal was put forward by a researcher from the Ethereum Foundation, and its core idea is to use zero-knowledge proof technology to optimize the computational and communication burdens of validator nodes. This improvement not only lowers the threshold for becoming a validator but also attracts more participants to join the network, thereby enhancing overall security, reducing redundant computations, and improving network efficiency. Additionally, the proposal also aims to address the technical issues left over in the Beacon chain due to historical reasons and to prepare for potential threats from quantum computing in the future.

The proposal of Beam Chain coincides with the roadmap of The Verge previously put forward by the co-founder of Ethereum. The Verge roadmap includes a comprehensive plan to "Snarkify" Ethereum (i.e., apply zero-knowledge proof technology), covering both the consensus layer and the execution layer. Although the transformation of the consensus layer is considered a challenging task that requires continuous optimization and consideration, the proposal of Beam Chain offers a possible solution to this dilemma.

Beam Chain focuses primarily on the transformation of the consensus layer, with its core being the Snarkification of the state transition function. This includes the modification of the state transition function for each time slot, each block, and each period, involving consensus algorithms, Staking logic execution, block proposals, execution layer result verification, Merkle tree root verification, consensus signature verification and aggregation, hash computation, as well as operations related to staking and redemption. It is noteworthy that while Ethereum is advancing this transformation, it still adheres to the principles of decentralization and diversity, and does not impose the use of specific zero-knowledge proof algorithms and protocols.

The core challenge of realizing the Beam Chain concept lies in how to significantly improve proof efficiency, compressing the current proof process that takes tens of seconds or even longer down to the level of seconds. To address this performance bottleneck, experts have proposed using ASIC chips to accelerate the entire process of zero-knowledge proofs, with the expectation that in the coming years, proof generation time can be improved by more than ten times, achieving truly real-time proof.

Multiple research teams are actively exploring the use of hardware platforms such as GPUs, FPGAs, and ASICs to accelerate the zero-knowledge proof process. They have achieved significant performance improvements on multiple mainstream zero-knowledge proof systems, with some core algorithms achieving speedups of over a hundred times. These technological advancements are not limited to traditional blockchain applications; they have also made groundbreaking progress in the field of AI combined with zero-knowledge proofs, such as drastically reducing the time required for verifiable computation of large language models.

In the face of the potential threats posed by quantum computing, researchers are actively developing post-quantum cryptography and optimizing consensus processes and memory reads, enabling the performance of quantum-resistant blockchains to reach about half that of traditional blockchains.

These technical explorations have begun to be applied in actual products. For example, some acceleration schemes have optimized algorithms commonly used in zero-knowledge proofs, including multi-scalar multiplication, number-theoretic transforms, polynomial solving, and proof components, making full use of GPU computing resources and bandwidth, significantly improving computational efficiency.

For a long time, the Ethereum community has mainly focused on optimizing the execution layer, such as increasing the block gas limit and developing Layer 2 networks. Significant progress has been made in the Snarkification of the execution layer through Layer 2 network solutions. The proposal of Beam Chain opens a new chapter in the Snarkification of the consensus layer, which is expected to inspire more innovative ideas.

It is foreseeable that as the Snarkification of the consensus layer and execution layer is gradually completed, the scalability and decentralization of Ethereum will be further improved. The virtual machine technology based on zero-knowledge proofs will play an increasingly important role in the Ethereum ecosystem. By introducing SNARK proofs and post-quantum cryptography, combined with lower staking thresholds and faster block confirmation speeds, Beam Chain is expected to bring stronger decentralization features and higher network performance to Ethereum.