Is modexp a barrier to the adoption of crypto payroll solutions?
Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has shed light on a crucial topic: the modular exponentiation (modexp) precompile. He has labeled it as “by far the worst offender” in terms of computational complexity, saying it can be up to 50 times more taxing than an average block. This raises questions about whether modexp is an obstacle for crypto payroll solutions to flourish. The inefficiency of modexp not only hampers the performance of ZK-EVM provers but also complicates the development of ZK-based scaling solutions such as ZK-rollups.
In his opinion, the need for Ethereum to upgrade its cryptographic systems is pressing. But what if instead of relying on modexp, Ethereum employed functionally equivalent EVM code? Although this…
