What powdr labs does

powdr labs GmbH is a zero-knowledge cryptography tooling company headquartered in Potsdam, Germany. Founded in October 2024 as a spin-off from the Ethereum Foundation, the company builds open-source infrastructure that helps ZK development teams and Ethereum L2 protocols generate zero-knowledge proofs more efficiently and across multiple proving backends. Its primary user base comprises ZK developers, L2 scaling protocols (Taiko, Scroll, Starknet Foundation-aligned teams), and groups needing reliable ZK proof infrastructure for Ethereum block verification, smart contract compilation, and privacy-preserving computation.

The product portfolio centers on the powdr SDK — a modular compiler framework that decouples the frontend (any ISA or guest program) from the backend (any ZK proving system) so that backend upgrades do not require rewriting application code. Built on the SDK are powdrVM (a multi-prover zkVM supporting Plonky3, Halo2, Polygon PIL STARK, Eigen Labs' Starky, with Stwo on the roadmap), autoprecompiles (automated circuit synthesis delivering 12.96x speedup on Keccak vs. software baselines and 1.37–1.84x Ethereum block verification speedups), crush (an infinite-register zk-friendly ISA that eliminates register spilling), powdr-wasm (a WASM-optimized zkVM running 1.45–1.58x faster than RISC-V on Keccak and Reth workloads), and a set of formally verified components — a Lean-based Yul-to-EVM compiler and a Lean-verified autoprecompiles optimizer — that provide machine-checked correctness instead of audit-only assurance.

The company operates as an open-source public goods project rather than a commercial software vendor. The SDK is 100% open source and built publicly on GitHub; there is no disclosed pricing model, SaaS offering, or commercial licensing. Revenue is indirect, consisting entirely of grants from the Ethereum Foundation, Taiko, Scroll, and the Starknet Foundation, with no disclosed round sizes or cumulative totals. Distribution is self-serve through GitHub, supplemented by an embedded integration with Axiom's OpenVM that places powdr middleware in front of OpenVM users without requiring a direct powdr install.

Name

powdr labs

Legal name

powdr labs GmbH

Website

https://powdr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

powdr labs builds open-source ZK tooling — a modular SDK and multi-prover zkVM connecting programs to multiple zero-knowledge proof backends. It spun off from the Ethereum Foundation in 2024 with backing from Taiko, Scroll, and Starknet Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Zero-Knowledge Proof Tooling

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Deployment, Automation & DevOps (build pipelines, contract deployment tools) (FSAPABAH)

Keywords

• Zero-knowledge proofs
• ZkVM development
• Circuit acceleration
• Formal verification
• Zero-knowledge tooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Open Source / Public Goods Funding: powdr SDK is a public good built and maintained by powdr labs, funded by grants from supporters. It is 100% open source. Revenue model is indirect — funded through grants from the Ethereum Foundation and L2 ecosystem partners (Taiko, Scroll, Starknet Foundation) rather than direct product sales. No commercial licensing or SaaS revenue disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

powdr labs develops an open-source SDK for zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs that connects high-level programs to the most suitable prover via a modular, backend-agnostic compiler architecture. The stack includes powdrVM (a multi-prover zkVM for Rust), autoprecompiles (automated circuit synthesis for accelerating guest programs), crush (a zk-friendly infinite-register ISA), powdr-wasm (an optimized WebAssembly zkVM), and a formally verified Yul-to-EVM compiler with formally verified optimization tooling written in Lean.

Product overview

powdr labs is a ZK tooling company offering a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core powdr SDK is an open-source ZK proof SDK connecting programs to multiple proof backends. Built on top are powdrVM (a multi-prover zkVM supporting Rust programs), autoprecompiles (automatic circuit generation for acceleration), and powdr-wasm (WebAssembly-optimized zkVM using the crush ISA). Additional modules include the yul-compiler with formally verified Yul-to-EVM compilation, and apc-optimizer for verified constraint optimization. The company also maintains yul-semantics and evm-semantics as formal verification foundations. All products are open-source and built with formal verification techniques using Lean.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• powdr SDK An open-source SDK for ZK proofs that connects high-level programs to their most suitable prover. The compiler architecture ensures library and backend upgrades are transparent to the frontend, providing flexibility for ZK development teams to integrate new proving techniques without rewriting their stack.
• powdrVM A multi-prover, future-proof zero-knowledge virtual machine supporting standard Rust programs and multiple ZK proof backends (Plonky3, Halo2, Polygon PIL STARK, Eigen Labs Starky). Implements zk-continuations for unbounded computation.
• autoprecompiles Automated synthesis of custom circuits to accelerate guest programs in zkVMs. Takes basic blocks, merges instruction circuits, and applies optimizations (constant propagation, redundant memory access removal) to deliver ~10-13x speedups over baseline software.
• crush A zk-friendly Instruction Set Architecture and infinite-register compiler framework/IR for zkVMs. Flattens WebAssembly's native stack and locals into infinite registers via data-flow and liveness analysis, eliminating register spilling to memory.
• powdr-wasm An optimized zkVM for WebAssembly built on top of OpenVM and the crush ISA. Provides better proving performance than RISC-V on the same backend by eliminating register spilling through crush's infinite-register model.
• yul-compiler A formally verified compiler from Yul to EVM written in Lean, with verified compilation passes and a machine-checked correctness theorem connecting compiled bytecode back to Yul source. AI writes code and proofs; the Lean kernel verifies correctness.
• apc-optimizer A formally verified constraint system optimizer written in Lean, integrated into the powdr autoprecompiles pipeline via Rust FFI. AI wrote the code and proofs; the Lean kernel guarantees the implementation adheres to the spec.
• yul-semantics Formal semantics of Yul (the Solidity compiler's intermediate representation) defined in Lean, enabling proof of high-level properties about smart contracts at a readable level.
• evm-semantics Formal semantics of the EVM in Lean, written as Prop-valued inductive relations with an executable shadow proven sound against them. Passes Ethereum Execution Spec Tests.
• powdr-OpenVM integration Integration combining powdr's autoprecompiles and compile-time optimizations with Axiom's OpenVM RISC-V zkVM, achieving better performance than either tool alone with end-to-end autoprecompiles for custom guest acceleration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12.96x improvement in proof time for Keccak (autoprecompiles vs software baseline, matching OpenVM manual precompile performance)
• +7 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AxiomcoreTechnology or IntegrationAxiom (builder of OpenVM) and powdr labs collaborate to stack powdr middleware (autoprecompiles, compile-time chip optimizations) on top of OpenVM's base RISC-V zkVM implementation, achieving better performance than either project alone. powdr provides autoprecompiles generation and optimization; OpenVM provides the base zkVM implementation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Polygon Miden: Polygon Miden is a STARK-based zkVM with its own ISA and prover stack. It competes with powdrVM for Ethereum-aligned L2 deployment and shares the same multi-prover ambitions (PIL STARK/STARKy backends).
• Axiom: Axiom builds OpenVM, the RISC-V zkVM stack that powdr integrates with directly. Both target Ethereum block verification and ZK coprocessor workloads, and they are formal technology partners yet alternative choices for the same developer mindshare.
• RISC Zero: RISC Zero builds a general-purpose zkVM based on RISC-V, the most direct competitor to powdrVM. Both target the same developer need of compiling high-level programs (Rust) to ZK proofs with comparable benchmarks and ongoing optimization efforts (e.g., manual precompiles vs autoprecompiles).
• Aleo: Aleo builds a ZK-first L1 with its own zkVM (snarkVM) and developer SDK for ZK programs. They target overlapping developer audiences (ZK application developers) and pursue comparable compile-any-program-to-ZK tooling.
• Succinct (SP1): Succinct's SP1 is a RISC-V zkVM competing head-to-head with powdrVM on developer ergonomics, multi-prover support, and precompile-style accelerations. Both are open source and pursue the 'any-program ZK' thesis.

Regional players

• Taiko: Taiko is an Ethereum L2 and a core financial backer of powdr. While they operate their own based-rollup infrastructure, their proving needs overlap with powdr's product surface and they are a key reference customer.

Broad incumbents

• zkSync (Matter Labs): zkSync operates a vertically integrated zkEVM with its own proving system (Boojum/PLONK family). They are a large incumbent L2 that could either adopt powdr's tooling or compete with it depending on internalization decisions.
• Starkware: Starkware builds the Starknet stack and the Stwo prover, one of powdrVM's supported backends. They are a broader incumbent in STARK-based ZK and a strategic backer of powdr, but operate their own integrated zkVM (Cairo) rather than a general-purpose multi-ISA stack.
• Scroll: Scroll is an Ethereum L2 with an internal zkEVM proving stack and a financial backer of powdr. They are both a strategic partner and a potential alternate zkVM choice for the same Ethereum L2 customers.

Emerging players

• O(1) Labs (Mina Protocol): O(1) Labs builds the Mina Protocol, a ZK-based L1 with developer tooling for ZK proofs (SnarkyJS). They pursue a related ZK-programming thesis with overlapping cryptographic primitives but a different deployment target (succinct blockchain).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/powdr_labs
• GitHubgithub.com/powdr-labs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/powdr-labs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about powdr labs