Mina Protocol to Integrate Celestia's Modular Data Availability Layer

Geometry Research chosen to spearhead the integration of Celestia's modular DA solution – unleashing higher throughput zkApps on the Mina Protocol

GENEVA, April 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mina Foundation, the organization serving the Mina Protocol, along with o1Labs, the software company that incubated Mina Protocol, is collaborating with Celestia to integrate Celestia's modular Data Availability (DA) layer with Mina Protocol. Geometry Research, a team of experts specializing in cryptographic proofs, has been jointly selected to build the integration, utilizing state of the art research.

The integration of Celestia's modular DA layer with Mina's zero-knowledge (ZK) native blockchain advances the functionalities and performance of zkApps (zero-knowledge applications) built on Mina, offering a seamlessly programmable component within Mina's existing developer toolkit to enable higher throughput. In practice, the modular DA layer is advantageous for projects that need to verify large amounts of off-chain data and scale users. Under the hood, this integration is powered by Succinct's Blobstream X and sets the stage for verifying foreign proving system proofs on Mina.

This collaboration commences as the Mina ecosystem approaches a major mainnet upgrade that will enable zkApp programmability - a move targeted at substantially increasing developer activity and the number of products built on Mina as the first ecosystem to offer zero knowledge smart contracts in production.

Kurt Hemecker, CEO of the Mina Foundation said, "Our mission is to simplify the developer experience for those building zero-knowledge applications. zkApps have immense potential to address core issues around data protection, scalability, proof of identity, and much more, but their integration in web applications has been slowed down by a lack of efficient and easy-to-use tooling for developers. Breaking down these barriers is a top priority, and the addition of this highly requested feature to the Mina developer toolkit will significantly enhance the scope and capabilities of zkApp builders on Mina, advancing a new era of the internet that puts users back in control."

Laying the groundwork for a number of projects seeking to scale operations in the ZK space, plans to leverage the modular DA layer are already underway. Zeko Protocol, a cross-chain zero-knowledge scaling protocol built on Mina, which recently raised a $3 million pre-seed funding round, aims to use enhanced data availability to support the next generation of ZK applications that will shape the future of decentralized finance, AI, gaming, and the internet.

Brandon Kase, CEO of o1Labs, elaborated, "We are thrilled to be a part of this collaboration which aims to eliminate the complexities of zkApp development. Leveraging the experience of the Geometry Research team, pioneering experts in zk-SNARKs, this Celestia integration has the power to significantly improve the capabilities of zkApps."

For developers seeking more information on this collaboration, please visit https://minaprotocol.com/.

Kurt Hemecker, CEO of the Mina Foundation, and Brandon Kase, CEO of o1Labs, are available for comment

About Mina Protocol

Mina Protocol is a next-gen zero knowledge (ZK) blockchain. Rather than apply brute computing force, Mina uses advanced cryptography and recursive zk-SNARKs to design an entire blockchain that is fixed at 22KB, the size of a couple tweets. Lightweight and accessible, Mina enables efficient implementation and easy programmability of zero knowledge smart contracts (zkApps). With Mina's enhanced privacy features and off-chain execution model, developers can build novel applications that bridge the real world and crypto— bringing us closer to the secure, democratic future we all deserve.

About Mina Foundation

Mina Foundation supports the Mina Protocol and its ecosystem. The Foundation aims to advance Mina's goal of creating a secure web3 with zero knowledge proofs— ushering in a new era of private and scalable applications— by issuing grants, fostering community growth, and championing Mina in the wider world.

Mina Foundation board members include former Executive Director at Zcash Foundation Josh Cincinnati, Professor of Finance at Imperial College Marco Di Maggio, Head of Product at OP Labs Tess Rinearson, former Mina Foundation General Counsel Joon Kim, and Mina Protocol Co-founder Evan Shapiro.

About Celestia

Celestia is a modular data availability network that makes it easy for anyone to securely launch their own blockchain.

About o1Labs

o1Labs is a blockchain technology company building tooling and software that leverages zero knowledge cryptography. Their global team of engineers successfully incubated the Mina Protocol, the world's first ZK blockchain, as well as o1js, the simple yet powerful framework for zk-based applications. Learn more: o1labs.org.