Venture capital division a16z Crypto unveiled Lattice Jolt on Wednesday, a revamped open-source zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) designed to replace traditional elliptic-curve cryptography with a lattice-based architecture that can resist quantum computing threats.
LayerZero separately introduced Akita on September 9, a production-ready lattice-based polynomial commitment scheme developed with a16z Crypto, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Southern California. The system aligns with NIST post-quantum standards and is being positioned as a foundational step toward quantum-secure zero-knowledge proofs.
Unlike other hash-based quantum-resistant approaches, Lattice Jolt reduces proof sizes to between 65 KB and 80 KB, compared with more than 200 KB for earlier post-quantum alternatives, while tripling proof generation speeds and halving memory consumption. The implementation supports RISC-V architecture and can process millions of cycles per second.
The technology is undergoing active testing on LayerZero’s Zero network. According to LayerZero, Akita will be implemented in Jolt from day one, giving decentralized protocols a migration path toward quantum-ready cryptographic infrastructure.
The development marks a notable scalability and security milestone for zero-knowledge applications across the blockchain industry.
