Vitalik Buterin Aims to Make Private and Post-Quantum Transactions Cheaper with Recursive STARKs

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a new transaction processing model that could make private and post-quantum transactions cheaper using recursive STARKs. According to EIP-8288, this approach would move part of the workload off the blockchain by aggregating cryptographic signatures and STARK proofs off-chain.

Buterin hopes to include this approach in the I-star upgrade, which is expected to take place after Hegota, as it could significantly reduce the costs of post-quantum signatures, private transactions, and new cryptographic schemes without having to change the EVM. The mechanism will be based on dependency frames - parts of a transaction that contain claims about its dependencies.

Buterin believes that this concept, which he calls 'Proof Singularity,' can already be implemented using existing technology. He notes that post-quantum signatures like SPHINCS- could become 'ultra-cheap' with this approach, while private transactions could potentially bring down costs to a few tens of thousands of gas.

In practical terms, EIP-8288 proposes moving computations and data that do not belong to the core 'business logic' of transaction execution off Ethereum's main execution path. This would involve changing the approach to signature verification and STARKs, with the core transaction logic checking for the presence of a frame with the relevant claim as a dependency.