Mina and Ethereum's Future: Convergent Evolution

This work is supported by a grant from the Mina Foundation

Introduction

The blockchain space is witnessing a fascinating convergence of protocol designs. While Ethereum explores various paths for its future development, as outlined in Vitalik Buterin’s recent “Possible Futures of Ethereum” series, many of these proposed directions bear striking similarities to features already implemented in the Mina protocol. This convergence suggests that Mina’s innovative design choices, particularly its focus on succinct blockchain architecture, may have pioneered the path that other protocols will eventually follow.

Core Innovation: The Succinct Blockchain

Mina’s Pioneer Design

Mina introduced the revolutionary concept of a succinct blockchain, where each state transition (block) can be verified in constant time regardless of the chain’s history. This was achieved through recursive composition of SNARKs, allowing the entire chain state to be verified with a small, constant-sized proof.

Key features of Mina’s design include:

• Constant-sized (~11kB) chain verification regardless of history
• Verification possible on resource-constrained devices
• True decentralization through universal full node capability
• Quantum resistance considerations in protocol design

Ethereum’s Evolution Towards Succinctness

Vitalik’s proposals, particularly in “The Verge” section, show Ethereum moving towards similar goals:

1. Stateless Clients: Ethereum aims to enable validation without storing state history
2. Verkle Trees: Proposed for more compact proofs
3. SNARK-based State Verification: Similar to Mina’s recursive SNARK approach

Notably, Ethereum’s proposals often mirror solutions that Mina implemented years earlier.

Why Blockchain Succinctness Matters

The drive towards succinct blockchains isn’t merely a technical optimization—it addresses fundamental challenges that could determine the long-term viability of decentralized networks.

Resource Democracy

Traditional blockchains face an inherent contradiction: while they aim for decentralization, their growing state and history requirements naturally push towards centralization. As of 2024, running a full Ethereum node requires over 1TB of storage, effectively excluding most users from full protocol participation.

Succinct blockchains solve this paradox. When verification requires only kilobytes of data and minimal computation, true protocol participation becomes accessible to anyone with a smartphone. This democratization of resources strengthens the fundamental value proposition of decentralized networks.

The Scalability Trilemma

Blockchain designs traditionally face the “scalability trilemma”—the challenge of simultaneously achieving:

• Decentralization
• Security
• Scalability

Succinct blockchains offer a novel solution by:

1. Maintaining security through cryptographic proofs
2. Enabling decentralization through lightweight verification
3. Allowing scalability without sacrificing the other properties

Sustainable Growth

Traditional blockchains face compounding challenges as they grow:

Time: Linear or worse growth in:
- Sync time
- Verification costs
- Storage requirements
- Network bandwidth

Space: Continuous expansion of:
- State data
- Historical data
- Validation requirements

Succinct blockchains break this pattern, offering constant-time verification and fixed storage requirements regardless of chain history. This creates a sustainable growth model where protocol participation requirements remain stable over time.

Privacy and Compliance

Succinct proofs enable privacy-preserving verification—nodes can verify the chain’s validity without accessing its full history. This characteristic becomes increasingly important as blockchain applications intersect with privacy regulations and enterprise requirements.

Protocol Design Comparisons

1. State Management

Mina’s Approach:

• Every block contains a SNARK proof of the entire chain history
• No need to store historical state
• Constant-time verification regardless of chain length

Ethereum’s Future Plans:

• Moving towards stateless validation
• Exploring Verkle trees and binary trees with STARKs
• Still wrestling with state expiry and history availability

2. Consensus Mechanism

Mina’s Ouroboros Samasika:

• First provably secure PoS for succinct blockchains
• Bootstrapping from genesis without trusted setup
• Adaptively secure design

Ethereum’s Proposals:

• Moving towards single-slot finality
• Exploring various approaches for better efficiency
• Still dealing with historical data requirements

3. Proof Systems

Mina’s Innovation:

• Recursive SNARKs from inception
• Efficient proof composition through “Tick-Tock” system
• Quantum resistance considerations built-in

Ethereum’s Direction:

• Increasing focus on zero-knowledge proofs
• Exploring various SNARK/STARK combinations
• Still determining optimal proof system architecture

Key Divergences

While the protocols are converging in many ways, some key differences remain:

1. Design Philosophy

   • Mina: Built for succinctness from ground up
   • Ethereum: Retrofitting succinctness into existing system

2. Scalability Approach

   • Mina: Fundamental protocol-level scalability
   • Ethereum: Layer-2 focused with base layer optimization

3. Implementation Timeline

   • Mina: Already implemented core features
   • Ethereum: Still in planning/proposal phase for many features

Technical Implementation Comparisons

Proof Generation and Verification

Mina:

Block Verification:
- Constant ~200ms verification time
- ~11kB proof size
- No historical data required

Ethereum’s Target:

Proposed Verification:
- Variable time based on approach
- Proof size dependent on implementation
- Some historical data likely required

State Management Efficiency

Mina’s approach provides consistent performance metrics:

Future Implications

The convergence of these protocols suggests several important trends:

1. Succinctness as Standard

   • Constant-sized proofs becoming necessity
   • Universal verification as key feature
   • Resource-efficient nodes as default

2. Proof System Evolution

   • Recursive composition as fundamental building block
   • Quantum resistance as critical consideration
   • Efficiency optimizations through specialized circuits

3. Protocol Design Principles

   • Built-in scalability over added layers
   • Universal verification capability
   • Sustainable long-term growth

Conclusion

Mina’s early recognition of the importance of succinct blockchain design and its successful implementation of these principles appears to be validated by Ethereum’s future directions. As Ethereum and other protocols move towards similar solutions, Mina’s pioneering work in this space becomes increasingly relevant.

The convergence of these protocols’ designs suggests that the future of blockchain architecture may well be aligned with Mina’s original vision: a truly succinct, universally verifiable, and efficiently scalable protocol.

References

1. Bonneau, J., et al. (2024). “Coda: Decentralized Cryptocurrency at Scale”
2. Buterin, V. (2024). “Possible futures of the Ethereum protocol” Series

Note: This article represents technical analysis based on published materials and specifications. Protocol development is ongoing, and actual implementations may vary.