Starknet Will Launch a Kakarot, New Testnet zkEVM in August

Kakarot, a zero-knowledge layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, is one step closer to being fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). 

Kakarot Helps Starknet To Achieve EVM Stability

In anticipation of the August test net launch of Kakarot, a new zkEVM, Starknet, a zero-knowledge layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, is one step closer to being completely compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

On June 3, the Kakarot team revealed it had obtained further funding from Starkware, Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, and Nicholas Bacca, the co-founder of the Ledger.

Elias Tazartes, the CEO and co-founder of Kakarot, said in an interview that while Starknet is a prominent Zero Knowledge roll-up in the Ethereum ecosystem, it is not EVM compatible, creating “kind of a barrier to entry.”

Developers use Starknet, which uses Cairo as its native language, to grow decentralized applications, transactions, and computing on Ethereum. Starknet claims that using Cairo makes creating, examining, and maintaining new code simpler and quicker.

The drawback, which may deter some developers, is that it needs to be EVM-compatible. Making Starknet EVM-compliant is where Kakarot can have the most significant influence.

“At the moment, Kakarot is similar to a Solidity or any language engine. The engine will eventually be integrated into Starknet to make it EVM-compliant.”

Currently, Starknet uses Cairo to run its own unique smart contract Virtual Machine, termed “Cairo VM,” which uses Cairo. This means that Starknet lacks direct EVM compatibility right out of the box, which could prove to be a major roadblock for rollup performance as a whole.

“The ability to use Solidity is essential for some teams. As an illustration, suppose someone created a DEX or an AMM for the Ethereum ecosystem and has 60,000 lines of code that have been audited and are currently ready to run, but only on EVM chains.”

To begin using Starknet, these developers would need to engage an entirely new development team, write in, audit the code once more, and maintain two separate code bases, all of which Tazartes deems to be “prohibitively expensive.”

Tazartes claims that the zkEVM was originally discussed during a Starkware conference in July 2022. When a hacker house event was held in Lisbon, Portugal, in October, the development team was able to gather together for a week and start working on the new zkEVM. The project’s code was finished two months and 20 days later, in December, and it was ready to be turned into a fully working execution layer without the need for venture capital.

Notably, Tazartes said that Buterin’s enthusiasm for a multiple-zkEVM approach to expanding the Ethereum ecosystem led to his investment in Kakarot.

As long as there is a rich diversity of architecture and techniques, Buterin believes that the more zkEVMs there are, the better for the area as a whole. The testnet version of Kakarot will be made available to the general public in August, according to Tazartes.

Nancy J. Allen is a crypto enthusiast and believes that cryptocurrencies inspire people to be their own banks and step aside from traditional monetary exchange systems. She is also intrigued by blockchain technology and its functioning.

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