Ethereum’s 12-GPU proving problem just got a 4-GPU answer

ZisK's new four-GPU benchmark claim has lowered the headline hardware count in Ethereum's real-time proving race. In February, CryptoSlate examined a roughly 12-GPU setup as a possible centralization risk. The new figure could bring proof generation closer to independent operators, provided the workload and operating conditions are comparable.ZisK is an open-source zero-knowledge virtual machine project, and on Aug. 18 it said its v1.1.0-alpha prover recorded a 9.62-second p99 on four RTX 5090 GPUs. A follow-up said 99.7% of tested Ethereum blocks finished in less than 10 seconds.Jordi Baylina amplified the result as a milestone combining four-GPU proving with claimed 128-bit security and post-quantum resistance.Ethereum's working standard calls for at least 99% of mainnet blocks to be proved within 10 seconds. If ZisK's p99 was calculated over an equivalent mainnet-block workload and timing boundary, 9.62 seconds would sit 0.38 seconds below that threshold.ZisK has yet to publish the block range, sample size, p99 calculation, timing boundary, proof size, or measured whole-system power for the four-GPU run. That announcement is, as of now, a benchmark claim.The six-part testThe Eth...