LayerZero publishes Akita, a quantum-resistant piece for zero-knowledge proving

A New Cryptographic Building Block for the Quantum Era

@LayerZero_Core has published the paper and source code for Akita, a polynomial commitment scheme designed to strip the quantum-vulnerable component out of zero-knowledge proving systems and replace it with lattice-based mathematics. According to LayerZero's official announcement, Akita is described as the first production-ready lattice-based polynomial commitment scheme, and it supports a transparent setup that eliminates the need for a trusted ceremony.

The scheme is built on a lattice problem known as Module-SIS, which belongs to the same family of mathematics that NIST has standardized for post-quantum encryption and digital signatures. NIST finalized its first set of post-quantum cryptographic standards in 2024, and the broader security community has been moving toward quantum-resistant primitives ever since.

The original Jolt architecture relied on Dory, a polynomial commitment scheme using elliptic-curve cryptography. Elliptic curves offer strong protection against conventional computers, but a sufficiently powerful quantum machine running Shor's algorithm could in theory derive a private key from a public key. Akita addresses that risk by replacing the quantum-vulnerable component entirely. Because the remaining elements of a proving system are information-theoretically secure, swapping in a quantum-resistant commitment scheme secures the full proving stack.

Akita was developed by researchers and engineers at LayerZero in collaboration with teams at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Southern California, and @a16zcrypto.

Smaller Proofs, Faster Proving

The performance numbers are a central part of the pitch. At 65 to 80 KB, Akita's proofs are significantly smaller than the 200 KB or more typical of hash-based post-quantum schemes, and two to eight times smaller than existing post-quantum alternatives more broadly. Proving also runs two to three times faster than its predecessor, with memory use roughly cut in half.

Lattice Jolt, the version of the zkVM incorporating Akita, achieves up to 2 million RV64IMAC cycles per second on CPU alone, with no GPU required. With GPU acceleration, that figure climbs past 10 million cycles per second.

Akita's first deployment is inside Jolt, the zero-knowledge virtual machine built with @a16zcrypto that underpins LayerZero's Zero blockchain. The current release delivers succinct proofs of correct computation, while a forthcoming companion paper will add the zero-knowledge property needed to keep private information hidden. LayerZero also describes Akita as a standalone primitive that any proof system seeking post-quantum security can adopt.

The release arrives as pressure mounts on the crypto industry to prepare for quantum threats. Google, Ethereum, and others have been pushing migration timelines, with some estimates targeting 2029 as a key milestone for high-risk systems.

Sources
LayerZero: Introducing Akita (Official Blog)
Crypto Briefing: Lattice Jolt introduces faster zkVM with post-quantum security
Cryptopolitan: LayerZero, Coinbase advance quantum readiness ahead of 2029 deadline