BTC Ecosystem Seed Player Zulu: The First Dual-Layer Structure

Written by: Riyue Xiaochu

The BTC Ecosystem Construction Competition is in full swing, with Merlin, BounceBit, B2 Network and other players temporarily leading. However, there is still a long way to go before the finish line, and some of the contestants following closely behind should not be underestimated, because they may turn the tide at any time, which is worth our attention.

The contestant we are investigating today is called Zulu Network, which is the first dual-layer structure in the BTC ecosystem.

Zulu's layer 2 is an EVM-compatible zkEVM. EVM projects can be quickly and cheaply deployed on ZuluPrime to implement ecological solutions. The other layer is Layer 3, called ZuluNexus. It innovatively unifies UTXO and account asset types, and implements smart contracts based on the UTXO model.contractInnovation. This means that it can maximize the advantages of UTXO and support future innovations in UTXO.

In the past few years,BlockchainMost of the innovations in Bitcoin are concentrated on EVM. Therefore, the idea of most layer2 in Bitcoin ecosystem is to introduce the ecosystem on EVM to Bitcoin. However, in the past one or two years, it has been clearly felt that the innovation of EVM seems to have reached a bottleneck period.

Another direction of innovation is based on UTXO. UTXO can be said to be the orthodoxy of Bitcoin, so the market is full of expectations for its innovation., such as the recent CKB, which is essentially the market's expectation for the innovation that UTXO may bring. The infrastructure based on UTXO is becoming more and more perfect, and the CKB team has launched the RGB++ Bitcoin programmable solution. Bitcoin RAAS service provider UTXO Stac provides developers with one-click creation of Bitcoin L2 The function of UTXO is equivalent to OP Stack, and it integrates RGB++ protocol. It is also developing shared sequencer, shared verification and other services. This means that the outbreak of UTXO ecology may be just around the corner.

This is the point that Zulu deserves attention. If a new project based on UTXO suddenly breaks out, Zulu is one of the few projects in the market that supports UTXO. And it can support both EVM and UTXO ecology.

Account Mode and UTXO Mode

BlockchainAs a decentralized ledger, it has two recording modes, UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output) and Account mode. Ethereum uses the Account mode, which is the account address we are familiar with now. Account has its own state. This model has better programmability, is easy for developers to understand, and has a lower cost for batch transactions.

Bitcoin uses the UTXO model. Simply put, when a miner mines a BTC, if it is transferred to address A, then address A will have a UTXO. If it is transferred to two addresses, it will be split into two UTXOs. In the Bitcoin network, the assets of each address are calculated by calculating how many UTXOs this address has. Satoshi Nakamoto used UTXO, and its advantage is that assetsSafetyIt is more reliable because transactions cannot be duplicated. And multiple UTXOs can be processed simultaneously, thus enabling parallel transactions and encouraging scalability innovation.

It can be said that the account model and the UTXO model have their own advantages and disadvantages. They have obvious logic, so UTXO also has great potential to bring something different.

Zulu Network's network structure

Layer2

Zulu's layer2 layer ZuluPrime operates as a layer 2 solution for Bitcoin, focusing on EVM compatibility and providing complex Dapp applications on the Bitcoin network, allowing the Ethereum ecosystem to quickly and cost-effectively enter the Zulu Network. ZuluPrime builds ZKEVM on zkSync's ZK stack.

BitVM was proposed by Robin, which introduced programmability to the Bitcoin network. It uses on-chain verification and off-chain computing. BitVM means that Bitcoin can now be Turing-complete like any other chain: allowing developers to run complexcontract, without changing the basic rules of Bitcoin. However, BitVm is inefficient in verifying the validity of transaction execution. To solve this problem, Zulu introducedZero knowledge proof(ZKP)Xiaobai NavigationFrom a verification perspective, this approach mitigates the impact of higher-level transaction types, since the ZKP verifier always runs on BitVM regardless of the transaction logic. Given the low computational requirements of the ZKP verifier, these networks facilitate fast verification of proofs, thereby ensuring the system is robust.Safety.

Layer3

Zulu's layer 3, called ZuluNexus, is deployed directly on ZuluPrime and interacts with it seamlessly. The core of Nexus is to unify the UTXO and account asset types on the Zulu network.

ZuluNexus builds a virtual machine that is completely different from the EVM, which can support both account type and UTXO type states. In practice, the UTXO commitment tree may also be maintained. This approach is based on experience in recent years, where account types have shown similarities to smart contracts.contractGreater compatibility, which is evident in the success of Ethereum. At the same time, the UTXO type is more suitable for private transactions, because transactions based on the UTXO type are executed locally by users and then verified by network nodes. Many privacy-focused projects, including Zcash, Aleo, Aztec, Ola, etc., are implemented based on the UTXO type.

Zulu Status

Zulu has launched a testnet called Lwazi. It also launched an activity to earn Zulu Genesis Points (ZGP) by participating in the test. 25,000 users registered on the first day of the launch. As of yesterday, it has 640,000 registered users and the testnet has more than 5 million transactions. Users can participate in various activities, including: registration, sign-in, tap water, transfer transactions, cross-chain bridges, dex transactions, providing liquidity, inviting friends, etc.

Zulu has launched a testnet called Lwazi. It also launched an activity to earn Zulu Genesis Points (ZGP) by participating in the test. 25,000 users registered on the first day of the launch. As of yesterday, there are already 640,000 registered users, and the testnet has more than 5 million transactions. Users can participate in various activities, including: registration, sign-in, tap water, transfer transactions, cross-chain bridges, dex transactions, providing liquidity, inviting friends, etc.

For specific content, please refer to the official documentation

https://www.yuque.com/zulunetworkzhongwenshequn/zvggg8/ll78rsqpuigwhscg?singleDoc=#

Core Team

Zulu's core team mainly comes from the United States and Canada, with many years of rich experienceBlockchainCo-founder Luke Vinci previously held strategic positions at JP Morgan and Nomura before transitioning tocryptocurrency行业，曾在 OKX 担任高级产品经理。Luke Vinci 具备机器学习、金融产品和区块链领域的专业知识，同时拥有计算机科学硕士学位。

另一位联合创始人 Eric Lifson 在传统市场营销领域有 7 年的工作经验，曾服务于宝洁、麦当劳、General Mills 等多家知名企业。自 2017 年进入区块链行业后，他在公链生态和 DeFi 领域均有创业经历。

Summarize:

As BTC ecological projects are booming, Zulu's pioneering double-layer structure is compatible with the EVM ecosystem on the one hand, and innovatively unifies UTXO and account asset types on the other hand, which can undertake possible UTXO innovations in the future. Many overseas media have also reported on Zulu Network, including CoinMarketCap, CryptoSlate, hackernoon, TechBullion, NewsCrypto, etc. Therefore, Zulu Network is worth paying attention to, and it may overtake at any time.

The article comes from the Internet:BTC Ecosystem Seed Player Zulu: The First Dual-Layer Structure

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