What is Expander from Polyhedra And What It Can Do?

Expander is a cutting-edge zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) system developed by Polyhedra Network, renowned for its exceptional prover efficiency and speed. Initially, Expander demonstrated the capability to process 4,500 Keccak-f permutations per second on standard hardware, marking it as the fastest open-source ZKP system at that time.

Subsequent advancements have significantly enhanced Expander’s performance. By integrating support for Poseidon hash functions — specifically designed for zk-SNARKs — Expander achieved a throughput of 2.16 million hashes per second (HPS) on an AMD Ryzen 7950X3D processor. This performance not only surpassed previous records but also maintained Expander’s position as the world’s fastest ZK prover. Notably, Expander scales efficiently across various hardware configurations, delivering up to 16 million HPS on a 256-core server machine.

Expander’s architecture is built upon the GKR (Goldwasser-Kalai-Rothblum) protocol, combined with polynomial commitment schemes based on error-correcting codes, such as those in Orion and Brakedown. This design ensures linear prover time relative to the arithmetic circuit’s size, eliminating the need for Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) and allowing operation over any finite field. The system is implemented over the Mersenne prime p = ²³¹–1, enabling efficient arithmetic operations

To facilitate the development of ZKP applications, Polyhedra Network offers the ExpanderCompilerCollection. This tool transforms circuits written in high-level languages into layered circuits compatible with the Expander prover, supporting both Go and Rust APIs. Additionally, an experimental Circom preprocessor is available, broadening the scope for developers to create efficient ZKP applications.

Polyhedra Network Documentation

Expander’s remarkable performance has significant implications for blockchain technologies, particularly in enhancing zkEVM (zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine) systems. By improving the efficiency of zkEVMs, Expander contributes to the realization of a decentralized system with robust validation and strong censorship resistance, aligning with the envisioned ZK Endgame.

In January 2025, Polyhedra, in collaboration with the Ethereum Foundation, Worldcoin, and other partners, announced the Explore Expander Bootcamp. This program aims to equip developers with the skills to leverage Expander for innovative projects in blockchain and cryptography, including applications related to the Ethereum Foundation’s BEAM chain proposal.

PR Newswire

Overall, Expander represents a significant advancement in zero-knowledge proof systems, offering unparalleled speed and efficiency for a wide range of cryptographic applications.

Official Links

Website: https://polyhedra.network/

Telegram: https://t.me/PolyhedraGroup

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PolyhedraZK

Medium: https://polyhedra.medium.com/

Discord: https://discord.gg/polyhedra-network

Products zkBridge: https://zkbridge.com/

Proof Cloud: https://proof.cloud/

Expander: https://expander.polyhedra.network/

zkLightClient on LayerZero: https://zkbridge.com/zklightclient