Vitalik Buterin’s Push for ZK-Rollups in Bitcoin Scalability

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, believes that the Bitcoin network requires scalable solutions such as zero-knowledge rollups (ZK-rollups) to become more than just a payment network.

During a Twitter Space hosted by Bitcoin developer Udi Wertheimer, where scaling experiments for Ethereum were discussed, Buterin made his remarks.

A ZK-rollup is an off-chain protocol that operates on top of the Ethereum blockchain and is administered by smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain.

It provides a more scalable and suitable method for verifying transactions without sharing sensitive user data.

The co-founder of Ethereum explained how Ethereum has implemented various scaling solutions to increase throughput over the years.

Buterin cited Optimism and Arbitrum as two successful examples of rollups that could serve as case studies for Bitcoin, adding that scalability has been debated for Bitcoin and Ethereum for years. Adding that:

“I think if we want Bitcoin to be more than payments, it needs more scaling solutions”

While the Ethereum network has transitioned from a proof-of-work network to a proof-of-stake network, it is experimenting with various layer-2 solutions such as ZK rollups and Plasma.

In contrast, Bitcoin’s layer-2 solution, the Lightning Network, has been crucial to its scalability, and Bitcoin Ordinals have recently assisted the Bitcoin network in becoming more than just a payment layer.

Buterin praised the rise of Ordinals, stating that he believes they have reintroduced the builder culture to the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Bitcoin Ordinals are the most recent layer-2 solution that enables the decentralized storage of digital artwork on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Its popularity skyrocketed, and by the end of June, Bitcoin Ordinals had a trading volume of over $210 million.