Risc Zero shuts down custodial services, Boundless Network becomes fully decentralized, and the ZK proof market ushers in a new landscape

【Blockchain Rhythm】Risc Zero recently announced an important decision—shutting down its own proof hosting service. This not only marks the beginning of a fully decentralized phase for the Boundless network but also signifies the industry’s official departure from centralized operation models in the general zero-knowledge proof market, embracing open competition wholeheartedly.

Speaking of Risc Zero’s previous role, it provided many developers with an entry point to zero-knowledge computation capabilities, allowing them to enjoy the convenience of ZK proofs without building their own hardware. But now the situation has changed— as the Boundless network’s functionality and verification capabilities become more refined, all proof requests will be handled by independent nodes within the network. This shift is very clever; the proof mechanism now fully follows the design logic based on resilience and neutrality, similar to blockchain principles.

Boundless itself is a universal zero-knowledge proof marketplace designed for multi-chain and various applications. Any chain or application can access its proof services to achieve greater scalability and interoperability. The network operates using mechanisms like “Verifiable Work Proof” (PoVW), where the proofers’ rewards are directly linked to their actual computational contributions. This design fosters genuine competition—proofers strive to improve efficiency and reduce costs, ultimately benefiting all chain ecosystems that require high-performance ZK proofs.