Ligero Inc. 🤝 Soundness Labs: Client Side proving meets on-chain attestation
Jul 7, 2025
Enabling seamless on-chain verification of Ligero proofs through decentralized infrastructure
TLDR;
We're excited to announce a strategic partnership between Ligero Inc., pioneers of the Ligetron zkVM and MPC-in-the-head-based proof systems, and Soundness Labs, creators of the world's first decentralized, proof-agnostic zero-knowledge verification layer.
This collaboration represents a critical milestone in zero-knowledge infrastructure, enabling seamless on-chain verification of Ligero proofs. As zero-knowledge technology adoption accelerates across Web2 and Web3 applications, the ability to verify large, hash-based proofs on-chain—efficiently, affordably, and without centralization—becomes essential for mainstream deployment.
The Innovation Behind the Partnership
Ligero Inc.: Pioneering Hash-Based Zero-Knowledge
Since introducing the first SNARK without trusted setup in 2017, Ligero Inc. has been at the forefront of zero-knowledge innovation. Their recent release of Ligetron zkVM represents a paradigm shift in ZK technology:
Memory-efficient architecture: The first hash-based proof system requiring no more memory than the underlying computation's native execution
Browser-native development: Enables developers to build full zkApps directly from browsers without complex toolchains
Universal scalability: Supports arbitrary computation at scale through general-purpose WASM virtual machines
MPC-in-the-head foundation: Built on the proven cryptographic paradigm
Recent recognition of Ligero's impact came when Google adopted Ligero proving system for privacy-preserving identity verification in digital wallets, showing real-world applications of the technology.
Soundness Labs: Towards building a Sound Internet
Soundness Layer addresses the fundamental bottleneck in ZK adoption: costly and limited on-chain verification. The platform provides:
Proof-agnostic verification supporting a vast majority of ZK proving system regardless of size or cryptographic assumptions
Fully Decentralized Design from sequencing to proof storage and attestation
Decentralized validator network with cryptoeconomic guarantees through staking and slashing mechanisms
Multi-chain compatibility with native attestation support across Ethereum, Sui, Optimism, and other major blockchains
High-performance coprocessing capable of handling verification workloads that would be prohibitively expensive on L1 chains

Solving the Verification Challenge
The Technical Obstacle
Ligero proofs, while offering superior proving performance, have faced a critical infrastructure gap:
Proof size: Ligero proofs similar to STARKs typically range from hundreds of kilobytes, significantly larger than traditional SNARKs like Groth16 which are hundreds of byyes.
Hash-based verification: Most L1 and L2 chains lack native verifier support for MPC-in-the-head constructions
Gas constraints: Ethereum's 30 million gas per block limit makes direct verification of large proofs economically unfeasible
Limited chain support: Hash-based proving systems require custom implementation across different chain architectures
The Soundness Solution
Through this integration, Ligero proofs now benefit from:
Native hash-based verification without requiring translation to circuit-based SNARKs via wrapping
Decentralized validation through Soundness Layer's distributed network of validators
Cryptoeconomic security backed by restaking protocols
Cross-chain attestations enabling Ligero proof verification across multiple blockchain ecosystems
Post-quantum readiness Ligero is post-quantum secure. Solution eliminates the need to wrap in traditional SNARKs that lack post-quantum security.
Technical Integration Architecture
Verification Workflow
The integration implements a streamlined three-step process:
Proof Registration: Ligero-based applications register their verifiers and associated metadata with Soundness Layer
Decentralized Verification: Soundness validators independently fetch, execute, and verify submitted proofs using native hash-based GPU-accelerated verifiers
Cryptoeconomic Attestation: When >66% of staked validators confirm validity, proofs receive on-chain attestations stored on Sui, with cross-chain relay capabilities
Performance Optimizations
Early benchmarking demonstrates impressive performance characteristics:
Sub-second verification: Ligero proofs verified in under 1 second by optimized Soundness validators
Efficient networking: P2P fetching and Merkle-based commitment structures minimize network bottlenecks even with 100-300 KB proof sizes
Memory efficiency: Ligetron’s prover side’s memory efficiency maintains
Scalable throughput: Parallel validation across the decentralized network supports high-volume requests
Unlocked Use Cases
This partnership enables a new generation of privacy-preserving applications with verifiable on-chain integrity:
Verifiable credentials: Prove age, residency, KYC, passport attributes in on‑chain applications without leaking personal data.
Gaming and verifiable applications: Prove you’ve won an off‑chain game and attest the result on‑chain.
Self‑sovereign identity: Enable decentralized identity verification without relying on centralized authorities.
Regulatory compliance: Build privacy‑first compliance solutions for DeFi and traditional finance.
Developer Experience
Browser-native development: Build and deploy zkApps without complex compilation pipelines
Multi-chain deployment: Single codebase supporting verification across multiple blockchain ecosystems
Rapid prototyping: Immediate testing and iteration through Ligetron's web-based platform
Market Impact and Industry Implications
Democratizing Zero-Knowledge Technology
This partnership represents a significant step toward mainstream ZK adoption by addressing key barriers:
Reduced development complexity: This partnership eliminates the need for custom verifier implementations across chains
Economic viability: Makes previously cost-prohibitive verification scenarios economically feasible
Enhanced security: Provides decentralized verification without trusted setup requirements when using Groth16 wrapper
Improved accessibility: Ligetron enables browser-native development which lowers technical barriers for developers
Client-Side Proving: Ligetron zkVM optimizes for fast, memory-efficient proof generation which are necessary for zkApps like zkLogin
Conclusion
The partnership between Ligero Inc. and Soundness Labs represents more than a technical integration—it's a fundamental advancement in zero-knowledge infrastructure that bridges the gap between innovative proving systems and practical blockchain deployment.
By combining Ligero's proven hash-based technology with Soundness Layer's decentralized verification infrastructure, we're enabling a new class of applications that were previously constrained by verification limitations. This collaboration demonstrates the power of modular blockchain architecture, where specialized solutions can combine to create capabilities greater than the sum of their parts.
As we move toward a future where privacy-preserving computation becomes standard, partnerships like this establish the foundational infrastructure that will enable mainstream adoption of zero-knowledge technology. We're not just solving today's verification challenges—we're building the infrastructure for tomorrow's privacy-first internet.
For developers, enterprises, and organizations looking to harness the power of zero-knowledge technology, this partnership provides a clear path forward: fast proving with Ligetron, scalable verification with Soundness Layer, and seamless integration across the blockchain ecosystem.
Ready to build the future of privacy-preserving applications? Start exploring Ligetron zkVM today and join the Soundness Layer developer community to be among the first to leverage this groundbreaking integration.
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