Scale or Die 2025: Can Solana Become the Fastest Private L1?

In a groundbreaking presentation at Scale or Die 2025, Vanishree Rao, founder of FERMA, unveils a roadmap for Solana to become the premier blockchain for privacy-focused applications. By integrating Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK) and Multi-Party Computation (MPC), Solana could revolutionize the blockchain landscape, addressing crucial privacy concerns while maintaining its high-performance capabilities.

Summary

Vanishree Rao's talk at Scale or Die 2025 focuses on the critical importance of privacy in blockchain technology, particularly for Solana. She argues that while improving performance metrics like throughput and latency is essential, addressing users' underlying fears about privacy is equally crucial for widespread adoption.

Rao presents a compelling case for why privacy should be a foundational feature of blockchain platforms, citing numerous real-world applications where privacy is a baseline expectation. She then introduces the concept of using Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK) and Multi-Party Computation (MPC) as the core technologies to enable a wide range of privacy-focused applications on Solana.

The presentation outlines the specific requirements for implementing these technologies on Solana, including protocol-level changes and infrastructure developments. Rao emphasizes that by making ZK and MPC integration as seamless as possible, Solana has the potential to become the go-to platform for privacy applications in the blockchain space.

Key Points:

The Importance of Privacy in Blockchain

Privacy is not just a niche concern but a fundamental expectation in many real-world applications. Rao illustrates this point with several examples, such as voting, real estate transactions, salary information, and trading activities. She argues that for blockchain to be truly useful and widely adopted, it must address these privacy concerns at a foundational level.

Developers shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to privacy infrastructure. By making privacy a core feature of the platform, Solana can enable a wide range of applications that respect users' privacy needs without requiring each developer to implement complex privacy solutions from scratch.

ZK and MPC as Foundational Technologies

Rao introduces the concept of "conditional completeness" in cryptographic primitives. She argues that with Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK) and Multi-Party Computation (MPC), along with the existence of a blockchain, it's possible to simulate all other privacy-related cryptographic primitives. This means that by focusing on implementing robust ZK and MPC capabilities, Solana can support a vast array of privacy-focused applications.

The presentation includes a detailed breakdown of how various privacy primitives can be reduced to ZK and MPC, demonstrating the versatility and power of these two technologies. This approach simplifies the implementation of privacy features on Solana while still enabling a wide range of use cases.

Requirements for MPC Implementation on Solana

Rao outlines specific requirements for implementing MPC on Solana. These include protocol-level considerations, such as ensuring that on-chain verifications are limited to Message Authentication Codes (MACs) and Zero-Knowledge Proof verifications, making the system universal and scalable.

Infrastructure requirements are also discussed, including the need for a mechanism pricing design for heterogeneous compute and native wallet support for secret sharing. On the Solana protocol level, Rao suggests adding pre-compiled source calls to support finite field operations for the chosen MAC finite field.

Facts + Figures

• Privacy is a baseline expectation in many real-world applications, including voting, real estate transactions, and financial activities.
• ZK and MPC, when combined with blockchain technology, can simulate all other privacy-related cryptographic primitives.
• Implementing privacy features at the platform level can significantly reduce the burden on individual developers.
• The MPC protocol for Solana should be designed to fit block limits and be scalable to as many participants as possible.
• Aggregatable intermediate MACs and ZKPs are crucial for scalability in MPC implementations.
• Wallet integration for secret sharing is a key infrastructure requirement for MPC on Solana.
• Solana would need to add pre-compiled source calls to support finite field operations for MPC implementation.

Top quotes

"Privacy is the baseline expectation of pretty much anything useful we want to build on chain."

"If you have ZK and MPC, you can basically simulate all of their primitives."

"Making ZK and working with MPC as easy as possible, then I think that chain has the potential to become the home for privacy applications."

Questions Answered

Why is privacy important for blockchain adoption?

Privacy is crucial for blockchain adoption because it addresses users' fundamental fears and expectations in real-world applications. Many everyday transactions, such as voting, real estate purchases, and financial activities, inherently require privacy. By making privacy a core feature of blockchain platforms like Solana, we can enable widespread adoption and create more useful applications that respect users' privacy needs.

What are ZK and MPC, and why are they important for Solana?

ZK (Zero-Knowledge Proofs) and MPC (Multi-Party Computation) are cryptographic technologies that enable privacy-preserving computations. They are important for Solana because they can serve as foundational building blocks for a wide range of privacy-focused applications. By implementing robust ZK and MPC capabilities, Solana can support various privacy features without requiring developers to implement complex privacy solutions from scratch for each application.

How can Solana become the leading platform for privacy applications?

Solana can become the leading platform for privacy applications by integrating ZK and MPC technologies at the protocol level. This involves making on-chain verifications efficient, ensuring scalability, and providing native wallet support for secret sharing. By focusing on these key areas and making it as easy as possible for developers to work with ZK and MPC, Solana can position itself as the go-to blockchain for privacy-focused applications.

What are the main challenges in implementing MPC on Solana?

The main challenges in implementing MPC on Solana include designing a mechanism for pricing heterogeneous compute resources, ensuring that on-chain verifications fit within block limits, and making intermediate MACs and ZKPs aggregatable for scalability. Additionally, Solana would need to add pre-compiled source calls to support finite field operations for the chosen MAC finite field, which requires protocol-level changes.

How does privacy on blockchain differ from traditional privacy measures?

Privacy on blockchain differs from traditional privacy measures because it needs to balance transparency and verifiability with confidentiality. Blockchain technology inherently creates an immutable record of transactions, which can conflict with privacy needs. By using advanced cryptographic techniques like ZK and MPC, blockchain platforms like Solana can offer privacy-preserving features while maintaining the benefits of decentralization and verifiability that blockchain technology provides.