Risc Zero introduces ‘Type 0’ zkEVM to make zero-knowledge tech more accessible

Zeth is a general purpose programing language that can be used to create zkVMs for any network

article-image

RSplaneta/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Risc Zero will open-source its “Type 0” zkEVM, Zeth, in a bid to make zero-knowledge infrastructure more accessible to developers.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin previously wrote in a blog post that there are four different types of zkEVMs, ranging from fully Ethereum equivalent to high-level language equivalents. 

Brian Retford, CEO and co-founder of Risc Zero, told Blockworks in an interview that Zeth has been built using standard Rust crates, a programming language used by the popular Ethereum node software Reth

“It’s not just the same semantics; it’s exactly the same code,” Retford said.

Zeth itself is a general-purpose programming language, which can be EVM equivalent — making it what Retford claims is a “Type 0” zkVM that can be applied to other networks.

“You can have a zkSolana [for example] without rewriting the code,” Retford said. 

This makes Zeth a modular solution for developers wishing to build zk technology, Retford explains, providing a way for developers to innovate further in a zk context.

“People are really starting to modify the EVM itself, and if you think about how complex it is to audit, build and maintain zkEVM, it basically pushes zkEVM towards more status and stability, making it more difficult for people to innovate,” he said.

By contrast, with Zeth, developers can simply modify and customize their zk stack, Retford explains. This means it becomes easier for development teams to leverage zk technology without being the experts. 

“You don’t need to have these very large, highly compensated teams doing a bunch of math in order to use zk technology,” he said.

Zeth also enables zk proving technology without depending on validators or sync committees as its zkVM is able to construct, verify, store and apply transactions independently in minutes.

“Zeth’s code is an EVM, and we compile it down to RISC-V and then run it on our zkVM, producing a complete zk proof of the EVM,” Retford said. “How do we do it in minutes? We farm the computation out in parallel.”


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Upcoming Events

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research

article-image

The trading card game will use Immutable’s zkEVM chain

article-image

From Ethereum primitive to multichain coordination layer, Symbiotic, EigenLayer, Puffer and MoreMarkets are evolving restaking

article-image

Satoshi’s “moved on to other things” is Bitcoin’s “return some video tapes”

article-image

Base’s Jesse Pollak spoke to Blockworks about his bullish case for content coins and how he’s approaching a real-time learning curve

article-image

Blockworks managing editor Michael McSweeney and news editor Katherine Ross give their thoughts on content coins and their viability.

article-image

Markets seem to sense the Fed has another tough decade ahead of it — one spent fighting for a certain cause