The Future of Blockchains: Intent-Based Architectures with Zero-Knowledge Proofs

Introduction

The evolution of decentralized applications (dApps) depends on a shift from programmable settlement to intent-based architectures. These systems redefine how applications are built, focusing on generalized intents—high-level expressions of desired outcomes. By leveraging zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and succinct validity proofs, intent-based architectures offer transformative advantages in scalability, privacy, and composability, paving the way for the next generation of decentralized systems. With Aligned we have the missing piece in the puzzle to unleash the power of ZKPs, by reducing on-chain verification costs significantly.

An intent is a declaration on a desired end state. This contrasts with other paradigms that specify how that end state is achieved. In the intent-based approach, I would say that I want to get from one place to another, and then Uber would take care of selecting the most appropriate route and handle the transport. In the second one, it is similar to me driving the car along the streets to get to my desired end place. In other words, intents shift from an imperative to a declarative mode.

Intents allow for a more efficient solution to achieve the desired end state as well as enhanced user-experience, by outsourcing the complexities of finding a solution to a third party.

How do intents work with blockchains?

Imagine trying to sell a token. Traditionally, this action will take many steps in the EVM, incurring gas fees. But what if there was a better way?

This is where intents come into play:

Instead of immediately executing an action on the blockchain, users can declare their intentions – like wanting to sell a token above a certain price. This declaration happens off-chain and costs nothing; it just needs a digital signature to be valid.

This is where it gets interesting. Once these intentions are declared, another party can act as matchmaker. For instance, when someone finds a matching buy order for your sell order, they can execute both transactions together. The matchmaker simply proves to the smart contract that they're fulfilling the users desired actions.

For simple operations, verifying signatures on Ethereum and executing the transaction on-chain might be sufficient. However, when operations become more complex, transaction costs can skyrocket.

Some of these ideas have already been in use, such as:

• CowSwap-style auctions
• Transaction batching
• Limit orders
• Gas sponsorship
• Bridging

To reduce costs and computational burden, we use Zero-Knowledge proofs.

Zero-Knowledge proofs allow smart contracts to verify that results are correct without actually performing the calculations themselves, reducing the computational effort. Moreover, we can create recursive proofs (proofs that prove that other proofs have been verified), greatly reducing the amount of work the blockchain has to perform.

By combining intents with Zero-Knowledge proofs, we now create a powerful synergy. While intents enable off-chain coordination, Zero-Knowledge proofs allow us to update the blockchain's state without performing expensive computations on-chain. This dramatically reduces costs and makes the system independent of computational complexity.

However, even though Zero-Knowledge proof verification scales well with computational complexity, it still carries significant costs on the blockchain. This is why we developed Aligned – a solution that substantially reduces these costs, making Zero-Knowledge proofs accessible and affordable for mass adoption. The verification can be done very cheap and fast using our proof verification layer, or with higher guarantees but higher latency using the proof aggregation layer. We not only think that intent-based architectures with ZKPs will be widely adopted, we also have products that we want to build leveraging these ideas.

For more insights into intents and intent-centric architectures, consider exploring the following resources:

• An Introduction to Intents and Intent-Centric Architectures
• Adrian Brink - Intent-centric (intent-solver pattern) architectures for fully decentralized dApps
• Intents from a resource model perspective
• Paradigm's post on intents
• CoW - intents

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