INTRODUCTION TO SUCCINCT NETWORK

The Succinct Network is a decentralized protocol using zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to verify software execution. It coordinates provers through proof contests, enabling scalable, trustless computation for blockchain and cryptographic applications.

A PROVER is responsible for generating ZK proofs that verify the execution of software programs, specifically RISC-V bytecode. Provers performs computationally intensive tasks to generate these proofs, which allow users to verify the correctness of program execution.

Proof contest is an all-pay auction where provers bid to generate proofs. The winner is chosen probabilistically, balancing cost & decentralization. Proof contests break the contention found in mining by assigning requests to a single prover & correspondingly increase throughput

Through proof contests, PROVERS compete to earn fees while contributing to a decentralized, efficient, & scalable proving infrastructure. The network's design ensures that provers are incentivized to optimize their operations, cutting costs & improving the overall user experience

The network aggregates supply (provers) and demand (users), creating a competitive market. Transparent pricing and permissionless entry incentivize provers to optimize hardware and software, driving down costs for users.

The network supports blockchain scaling (ZK rollups), privacy-preserving systems (identity management), decentralized oracles/bridges, and AI verifiable inference, enabling trustless, efficient computation across industries.

The Succinct Network uses ZK proofs and proof contests to create a decentralized proving infrastructure. It incentivizes provers to compete, reducing costs and enabling scalable, verifiable computation for diverse applications.