Zac Williamson & Joe Andrews: Aztec - Privacy-preserving hybrid ZK rollup #499
Channel: Epicenter Podcast
Date: 2023-06-09

In order to achieve true transaction privacy, it is not enough to encrypt or build ZK proofs for transaction bundles, as long as the underlying blockchain uses an account-based model. Aztec is building a ZKVM that superposes an UTXO model, so that balances are constantly updated as new, untraceable, log entries. The upcoming Aztec 3 aims to enable privacy-preserving smart contracts, using a hybrid, multi-layered rollup. This approach allows for both public and private smart contracts to be executed simultaneously.

We were joined by Zac Williamson & Joe Andrews, to discuss the evolution of Aztec, from ZK Money to their upcoming privacy-preserving hybrid ZK rollup.

Topics discussed in this episode:
0:00 - Introduction
0:19 - The evolution of Aztec, from ZK money to Aztec 3
6:12 - How Aztec’s ZKVM ensures privacy for Ethereum transactions
17:49 - The need for UTXO model for privacy-preserving encrypted databases
24:21 - Interacting with public smart contracts in a privacy-preserving manner
33:13 - Technical roadmap and challenges faced along the way
40:05 - How Aztec differs from Mina protocol
43:26 - Recursive proofs
48:06 - Estimating gas
51:30 - Main-net sequencer decentralisation
54:24 - Goblin Plonk
1:02:49 - The future of programmable privacy

Links mentioned in this episode:
- Zac Williamson on Twitter: bit.ly/3J1qopy
- Joe Andrews on Twitter: bit.ly/3NiM7vN
- Aztec on Twitter: bit.ly/3qEhN5H

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/499