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zkSync Launches Boojum: Its New Proof System for Scalable ZK Rollups

  • Boojum upgrade is live as zkSync Era transitions to a new STARK-powered proof system.
  • The new proof system is designed to deliver world-class performance on consumer-grade hardware.
  • zkSync is rolling out the feature in phases while validating its security and functionality.

zkSync Era, a layer-2 protocol that uses zero-knowledge proofs for Ethereum, has announced a high-performance proof system named Boojum.

According to the team, this upgrade not only aims to increase network throughput, but also to enhance decentralization by enabling proof generation and verification on widely available consumer hardware.

Say hello to Boojum 👋: zkSync Era’s new high-performance proof system for radical decentralization. Boojum is an upgrade that will transition zkSync Era to a STARK-powered proof system, providing world-class performance on consumer-grade hardware.

💡 Learn more:
 pic.twitter.com/1GrwJ5Y07A

— ZKsync (∎, ∆) (@zksync) July 17, 2023

New zkSync Era upgrade

Boojum is a Rust-based arithmetization and constraint library that replaces zkSync’s previous SNARK-based prover system with a STARK-powered approach. In an announcement, the team explained that Boojum will underpin the platform’s next-generation ZK circuits and prover infrastructure.

zkSync Era already processes over 100 transactions per second (TPS) today, but Boojum is expected to increase throughput substantially. The upgrade also targets low-cost, near-real-time transaction finality to support more demanding applications.

“Our current SNARK-based system, while effective for today, won’t scale to the high-volume, near real-time transactions the ZK Stack, where zkSync Era operates as a Hyperchain, aims to support in the coming years. The future we imagine for these systems is one in which proofs are generated and verified cheaply and quickly, allowing for fast finality and interoperability between Hyperchains,” the zkSync Era team wrote.

A key goal for Boojum is reducing hardware requirements so more participants can run provers. The system is designed to work with GPU provers that have as little as 16 GB of RAM, lowering the barrier to entry and helping decentralize proof generation.

The Boojum rollout is staged to prioritize safety and stability. The initial deployment on mainnet is operating in “shadow mode,” meaning the new proof system runs alongside the existing prover. During this phase, Boojum will generate and verify “shadow proofs” from live production data on mainnet blocks, allowing engineers to validate performance and security without affecting users.

Throughout the shadow period, the zkSync team will monitor results and refine the implementation before completing a full migration. This phased approach aims to ensure the upgrade achieves its goals—higher throughput, lower costs, and broader decentralization—while maintaining a secure, reliable mainnet experience.