A16z Crypto Launches Post-Quantum Lattice Jolt Proof System
A16z crypto has released Lattice Jolt, a re-engineered version of its open-source Jolt proof system. This update replaces a cryptographic component with a design that the team claims will withstand future quantum attacks. According to a16z, the new version operates two to three times faster than its predecessor and generates proofs under 100 kilobytes. However, these figures are from a16z’s own announcement and have not undergone independent verification. Since no cryptographically relevant quantum computer currently exists, this development represents a proactive engineering measure against a projected threat.
Internal Changes to Jolt
Jolt functions as a zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM), enabling one computer to prove the correct execution of a program without requiring a second computer to re-perform the entire calculation. The recent rebuild replaces Dory, a polynomial commitment scheme that relied on elliptic-curve cryptography, with Akita, a lattice-based scheme. Akita is the work of researchers at LayerZero in collaboration with teams from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California, as reported by a16z.
The team attributes most of the speed improvement to a reduction in the size of the numbers involved. The elliptic-curve version necessitated 256-bit values, whereas the lattice design achieves comparable security with 128-bit values, accelerating each multiplication. A16z states that Lattice Jolt processed over 2 million RISC-V cycles per second on a laptop CPU, an increase from approximately 1 million for the previous version, and surpassed 10 million cycles with Apple Metal GPU acceleration. The company also asserts that its sub-100-kilobyte proof size is the smallest for any post-quantum zkVM.
A secondary summary indicates that Lattice Jolt is not yet fully zero-knowledge, and a forthcoming companion paper will introduce this property. A hash-based version of Jolt is also reportedly in development. The available material does not disclose whether the code has been audited or under what license it is released.
The Post-Quantum Landscape
The term “quantum” in this context refers to a hypothetical machine, not a functional one. Elliptic-curve cryptography would be vulnerable to Shor’s algorithm on a mature quantum computer, but such a computer has yet to be built. Lattice problems, such as the Module-SIS scheme underpinning Akita, belong to the same family that NIST utilized for its standardized post-quantum signature and key-establishment standards, ML-DSA and ML-KEM. This standardization effort is ongoing as governments advance their own timelines, including the EU’s planned Quantum Act, anticipated in 2026.
A16z aims for 128 bits of security for Lattice Jolt, according to its post. The design specifics are detailed in the team’s own writeup and a16z’s work on succinct proof systems. Simply put, this is a design update featuring self-reported claims, not a deployed service or a standard.