27.9CRMar 10
ACE Runtime - A ZKP-Native Blockchain Runtime with Sub-Second Cryptographic FinalityJian Sheng Wang
Existing high performance blockchains verify one signature per transaction on the critical path, which creates O(N) verification cost, high hardware pressure, and difficult post quantum migration. This paper presents ACE Runtime, a ZKP native execution layer built on identity authorization separation. We replace per transaction signature checks with lightweight HMAC attestations in the hot path, then generate one aggregated zero knowledge finality certificate per block in an asynchronous prove stage. The system is organized as an Attest Execute Prove pipeline with two tier finality: soft finality from BFT voting and hard finality from proof verification. Under standard cryptographic assumptions, we provide formal arguments for attestation unforgeability and hard finality irreversibility. We also define a two phase timeout and backup proving path with witness availability gossip for liveness under builder failure. Quantitative results combine analytical modeling with reference implementation measurements. The prototype shows low CPU orchestration overhead, while model driven analysis projects constant per block verification cost, lower validator hardware requirements for non builders, and better bandwidth efficiency than per transaction signature designs. These results indicate that identity authorization separation is a practical architecture for sub second cryptographic finality with a clear path toward stronger post quantum components.
25.4CRMar 27
HFIPay: Privacy-Preserving, Cross-Chain Cryptocurrency Payments to Human-Friendly IdentifiersJian Sheng Wang
Sending cryptocurrency to an email address or phone number should be as simple as a bank transfer, yet naive schemes that map identifiers directly to blockchain addresses expose the recipient's balances and transaction history to anyone who knows the identifier. HFIPay separates private routing, sender-side quote verification, and on-chain claim authorization. A relay resolves the human-friendly identifier off-chain and commits only a per-intent blinded binding rho_i plus the quoted payment tuple; the chain sees neither the identifier nor a reusable recipient tag. In a verified-quote deployment, the relay returns a sender-verifiable off-chain proof linking rho_i to an attested binding-key commitment, so the relay cannot substitute a different recipient before funding. To claim, the recipient proves in zero knowledge -- via ZK-ACE -- that the funded intent's blinded binding matches a handle derived from the same deterministic identity, authorizing release of the quoted asset and amount to a chosen destination. We formalize two privacy goals: enumeration resistance and pre-claim unlinkability, and distinguish a baseline deployment (relay trusted for binding correctness) from the verified-quote deployment (binding is sender-verifiable without a public registry). When composed with an NVM runtime, the same mechanism extends to cross-chain settlement. The result is a relay-assisted but non-custodial architecture: relays are privacy and availability dependencies, but cannot redirect funds.
CRMar 9
ZK-ACE: Identity-Centric Zero-Knowledge Authorization for Post-Quantum Blockchain SystemsJian Sheng Wang
Post-quantum signature schemes introduce kilobyte-scale authorization artifacts when applied directly to blockchain transaction validation. A widely considered mitigation is to verify post-quantum signatures inside zero-knowledge circuits and publish only succinct proofs on-chain. However, this approach preserves the signature-centric authorization model, merely relocating the verification cost, and embeds expensive high-dimensional lattice arithmetic into prover circuits.We present ZK-ACE (Zero-Knowledge Authorization for Cryptographic Entities), an authorization layer that replaces transaction-carried signature objects entirely with identity-bound zero-knowledge authorization statements. Rather than proving the correctness of a specific post-quantum signature, the prover demonstrates in zero knowledge that a transaction is authorized by an identity consistent with an on-chain commitment and bound replay state. The construction assumes a deterministic identity derivation primitive (DIDP) as a black box and uses a compact identity commitment as the primary on-chain identity anchor, supplemented by per-transaction replay-prevention state. We formalize ZK-ACE with explicit game-based security definitions for authorization soundness, replay resistance, substitution resistance, and cross-domain separation. We present a complete circuit constraint specification, define two replay-prevention models, and provide reduction-based security proofs under standard assumptions (knowledge soundness, collision resistance, and DIDP identity-root recovery hardness). A structural, protocol-level data accounting demonstrates an order-of-magnitude reduction in consensus-visible authorization data relative to direct post-quantum signature deployment. The design supports batch aggregation and recursive proof composition, and is compatible with account-abstraction and rollup-based deployment architectures.
CRMar 9
ACE-GF-based Attestation Relay for PQC - Lightweight Mempool Propagation Without On-Path ProofsJian Sheng Wang
In post-quantum blockchain settings, objects that require validity proofs (e.g., blob roots, execution-layer or consensus-layer signature aggregates) must be broadcast through mempool and relay networks. Recursive STARKs have been proposed to aggregate such proofs so that each node forwards one proof per tick plus objects without proofs, capping per-node proof bandwidth at roughly 128 KB degree per tick. We observe that propagation does not inherently require validity proofs on the path-only a lightweight assurance that an object is eligible for relay. We present AR-ACE (ACE-GF-based Attestation Relay for PQC), in which relay nodes forward objects plus compact attestations (e.g., identity-bound signatures or commitments) and do not generate, hold, or forward any full validity proof. Only the builder (or final verifier) performs a single aggregated validity proof over the set of objects it includes. This proof-off-path design removes proof overhead from the propagation path entirely, yielding an order-of-magnitude reduction in proof-related relay bandwidth relative to proof-carrying propagation. When instantiated with ACE-GF-derived attestation keys, AR-ACE preserves a unified identity story with on-chain authorization and is PQC-ready. We specify a protocol model, state design goals and security considerations, define security games, and provide a structural bandwidth comparison with recursive-STARK-based propagation.
CRMar 9
Condition-Triggered Cryptographic Asset Control via Dormant Authorization PathsJian Sheng Wang
Control of encrypted digital assets is traditionally equated with permanent possession of private keys, a model that precludes regulatory supervision, conditional delegation, and legally compliant transfer at the cryptographic layer. Existing remedies (multi-signature schemes, threshold signatures, smart contracts, custodial delegation) require persistent key exposure, on-chain state mutation, or trusted intermediaries. We introduce Condition-Triggered Dormant Authorization Paths (CT-DAP), a cryptographic asset control method built on destructible authorization factors and parameterized by a root-derivable framework satisfying deterministic key derivation, context-isolated capability generation, and authorization-bound revocation. Under CT-DAP, control rights are dormant authorization paths composed of user-held credentials and administrative factors held by independent custodians; a path remains cryptographically inactive until all factors are simultaneously available. Upon verification of predefined conditions (e.g., user consent, inheritance events, time-based triggers), the corresponding factor is released, activating the path. Revocation is achieved by destroying factors, rendering the path permanently unusable without altering the cryptographic root. We formalize the threat model, define security games for unauthorized control resistance, path isolation, and stateless revocation, and prove security under standard assumptions (AEAD security of AES-GCM-SIV, PRF security of HKDF, memory-hardness of Argon2id, collision resistance of SHA-256). We instantiate CT-DAP using the Atomic Cryptographic Entity Generative Framework (ACE-GF) and evaluate performance, demonstrating sub-second activation latency with configurable security-performance trade-offs.
34.9CRMar 24
n-VM: A Multi-VM Layer-1 Architecture with Shared Identity and Token StateJian Sheng Wang
Multi-chain ecosystems suffer from fragmented identity, siloed liquidity, and bridge-dependent token transfers. We present n-VM, a Layer-1 architecture that hosts n heterogeneous virtual machines as co-equal execution environments over shared consensus and shared state. The design combines three components: a dispatcher that routes transactions by opcode prefix, a unified identity layer in which one 32-byte commitment anchors VM-specifific addresses, and a unified token ledger that exposes VM-native interfaces such as ERC-20 and SPL over a common balance store. We formalize routing, identity derivation, and token transfer semantics, and prove cross-VM transfer atomicity and identity isolation under standard cryptographic assumptions. We describe a concrete instantiation with five VMs: a native runtime, EVM, SVM, Bitcoin Script, and TVM. We also present context-based sharding and a write-set scheduler for parallel execution. Under an analytical throughput model, the architecture admits a projected range of about 16,000 to 66,000 transactions per second on commodity hardware.
2.1CRApr 8
MEV-ACE: Identity-Authenticated Fair Ordering for Proposer-Controlled MEV MitigationJian Sheng Wang
Maximal Extractable Value, or MEV, remains a structural threat to blockchain fairness because a block producer can often observe pending transactions and unilaterally decide their ordering or inclusion. Existing mitigations hide transaction contents or outsource ordering, but they often leave two gaps unresolved. First, commitments are not authenticated by slashable identities. Second, inclusion obligations are not backed by transferable evidence that other validators can verify. This paper presents MEV ACE, a fair ordering protocol for proposer controlled ordering MEV. MEV ACE combines three mechanisms. First, it uses registered economic identities whose authentication keys are deterministically derived from the ACE GF framework and bonded on chain. Second, it uses authenticated commit and open messages with validator receipt thresholds, which make admissibility and inclusion obligations independently auditable. Third, it uses verifiable delay based randomness to determine transaction order only after the admissible commitment set is fixed. We formalize the protocol in a Byzantine fault tolerant validator model with threshold receipts and show three properties under standard assumptions: order unpredictability after the admissible set is locked, commitment authenticity under signature unforgeability, and accountable inclusion for transactions that obtain threshold commit and open receipts. Under these conditions, and when producer and user bonds exceed the one slot gain from invalid execution or selective non opening, MEV ACE removes unilateral proposer discretion over front running, sandwich attacks, and censorship against admitted transactions. The protocol remains single slot in structure, requires no threshold decryption committee, and is compatible with post quantum signature schemes such as ML DSA 44.