Fhenix, an Ethereum layer-2 platform that aims to bring fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) to smart contracts, revealed that it will work with EigenLayer to develop FHE coprocessors.
A coprocessor is an additional processor designed to perform specialized tasks in an often more efficient manner than a central processing unit. An example of this in today’s industry is zero-knowledge (zk) coprocessors, which are used to scale zk-rollup computations off-chain.
FHE coprocessors are similar, although their specific focus would be to enable computation of encoded data without having to decode the information first. FHE coprocessors will ensure that sensitive, complicated computing tasks are not handled on Ethereum or a subsequent layer-2 or layer-3, but rather by a designated processor.
Read more: What is fully homomorphic encryption and how will it change the blockchain?
“Once considered impossible, FHE coprocessors solve the challenge of analyzing large data sets on Ethereum without compromising on-chain performance,” Fhenix CEO Guy Itzhaki said in a Blockworks-reviewed press release.
Itzhaki notes that FHE coprocessors will enable a more efficient way to process encrypted data without revealing personal information, unlocking new use cases on the blockchain.
FHE coprocessors are designed to receive input from the host chain rather than storing state themselves, allowing them to be optimized for performance and remain idle until needed. For efficiency’s sake, they will rely on fraud proofs instead of zk proofs, which are handled on the host chain.
FHE coprocessors will be secured by Fhenix’s FHE rollup and EigenLayer’s staking mechanism. EigenLayer enables actively validated services (AVS) to take over pooled Ethereum security.
By using EigenLayer, the FHE coprocessor can guarantee the economic correctness of the rollup execution. If operations are found to be malicious, the deployment of these validators will be reduced. Fhenix believes that this eliminates the need for a fraud-proof period. Doing so also eliminates the dispute period, making confirmation times faster.
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Guy Zyskind, the founder of Fhenix, notes that FHE coprocessors will not only be feasible but also scalable.
“Confidential computing will grow at scale, and the ability to provide instant confirmations would otherwise not be possible without our joint efforts with EigenLayer,” said Zyskind.