Evaluating Compiler Optimization Impacts on zkVM Performance
Thomas Gassmann, Stefanos Chaliasos, Thodoris Sotiropoulos, Zhendong Su · 2026
Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are the cornerstone of programmable cryptography. They enable (1) privacy-preserving and verifiable computation across blockchains, and (2) an expanding range of off-chain applications such as credential schemes. Zero-knowledge virtual machines (zkVMs) lower the barrier by turning ZKPs into a drop-in backend for standard compilation pipelines. This lets developers write proof-generating programs in conventional languages (e.g., Rust or C++) instead of hand-crafting arithmetic circuits. However, these VMs inherit compiler infrastructures tuned for traditional architectures rather than for proof systems. In particular, standard compiler optimizations assume features that are absent in zkVMs, including cache locality, branch prediction, or instruction-level parallelism. Therefore, their impact on proof generation is questionable.